Somehow
by Pink Mockingjay in Hufflepuff
Summary: There was no golden romance, no sappy love story. They simply just fell together somehow. Somehow, they fell in love. Somehow they made it work. Somehow, two broken people found a second chance at happiness. Gale and Johanna's love story, told in snippets. Post-Mockingjay. Cross-posted on AO3.
1. Chapter 1

**_Hello! I used to write for the Hunger Games a very long time ago, but my work has since been erased by me (it wasn't very good). Here I am, six years later, to try again. This time with a pairing I've always shipped for no real reason and very briefly had paired off in a fix when I was younger. Hopefully, this is better than that was._**

 _ **Rated T for future language use, triggers, and potentially some mild relationship stuff that could be considered sexual.**_

* * *

Johanna didn't settle down after the Rebellion was over. No, she kept moving. Staying in one place too long made her anxious. She had to keep going. Always keep going.

She would spend a few weeks in District 12, and then travel to District 4 to see Annie and the baby, though he wasn't really a baby anymore, and then she'd spend a few weeks in a random district, though it was never 7, and then would start all over again, leaving and moving on when she grew antsy.

She had grown rather close to Katniss, Peeta and Annie as she understood different, important parts of each of them. She could care for and be gentle with Annie, she could be bitter and sarcastic with Katniss, she could joke with Peeta. And yet, she deeply understood their pain too. At this point, Johanna greeted them each with a hug when she saw them. Even Haymitch.

It wasn't often that they were all together in one place, but the five year commemoration of the Rebellion ending had brought them all to the Capitol, to the same hotel. All of them were uncomfortable being there, but they had all agreed to do it on the condition that they would all be staying near each other and that Annie could bring little Finnley.

Despite the uneasiness that hung over all of them, Johanna seemed to be the only one who ventured into the floor's lounge in the middle of the night when she couldn't sleep. She had heard the whimpers and the panicked screams as her friends awoke from nightmares. She had heard tears and swearing and showers turn on at 4 am to wash off the cold sweat from reliving traumas. But she was the only one to leave her room.

She spent most of her time awake in the dimly lit room curled up on a couch that had its back to a window that overlooked the twinkling city below. From the way she sat, she could stare out the window, the noises from the bustling streets faint, but ever present.

It was no different from any other night that week. It began with Johanna awakening at 2:28 in the morning and heading to the empty lounge at 3:35, where she took her usual position on the couch and tried to rub the terrible pictures she had seen in her sleep from the inside of her eyelids.

"Johanna?"

The soft, sleepy voice from the other side of the room made her jump.

"Sorry," the voice added after she jumped.

She turned to the owner of the voice, and there stood Gale Hawthorne wearing blue pajama pants and a T-shirt, barefoot, looking exhausted, confused, and nervous all at once.

"What are you doing up, Pretty Boy?"

He shrugged. "Couldn't sleep."

"Join the club," Johanna replied dryly, looking back out the window.

Gale had joined the group of rebel survivors the previous day. He had been invited too, as he had been a soldier. He wasn't needed for the remembrance of the Games, but he was for the remembrance of the War.

Katniss had regarded him with a polite nod, which he returned. He shook Peeta's hand and spent the rest of the day in his room.

"I can't imagine this is easy for you," Gale said after a few moments of silence. It was unclear if he was referring to Johanna, or the Victors as a whole.

"It's hell." Was Johanna's reply, not looking away from the window.

She swore that Finnley was the only reason anyone had their sanity. He was simply on an adventure with his mama and his bright-eyed, enthusiastic innocence was a welcoming relief from everything else going on. To say Effie adored the little boy was an understatement and between their infectious smiles and joy at simple things, smiles had come through that week.

"I'm… sorry," Gale replied rather lamely.

"Nightmare?" Johanna asked, ignoring his apology.

"What?"

Johanna turned around again to face him. "I asked if you're up because of a nightmare."

"I guess you could say that. I think it's this place…"

Johanna rolled her eyes a little. "It's called a trigger, Hawthorne. Get used to it."

He looked behind her, to the window, and heaved a sigh.

She sat up straight and scooted to one side, patting the cushion next to her as an offer for him to sit. He did.

Neither of them said anything for a very long time. Finally, Gale spoke.

"Where do live these days?" Gale questioned a little awkwardly at an attempt to change the subject.

Johanna chuckled. "Guess you could say I live on the train. I don't stay anywhere long."

"Oh… where do you go?" He asked.

"12 and 4 and random places. I leave when I need to. I come as I please."

He nodded, seeming to understand this notion of flitting about, coming and going as necessary.

"What about you? Your family's in 12 but you're not."

"I've got a house in 2."

"That's about as far away as you can get from her."

Gale flinched. She touched a nerve.

"Kind of a shame," Johanna mumbled.

Gale looked to the floor.

The silence that followed was thick.

Sometime later, the soft twittering of a bird beyond the window let Johanna know she should probably go back to her room and try to sleep a little more.

She rose from her seat and ran a hand through her tousled hair. "Ought to get back to bed, Pretty Boy. The day's festivities start at 2."

She stretched and headed back towards her room. Right before she turned the corner to head out of the lounge, Gale's voice stopped her in her tracks.

"If you're ever in 2, you should stop by."

Johanna looked at him with what could almost be considered a smile on her face. "I might have to do that."

And with that, Gale was left alone.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Thanks so much for reading! Please let me know your thoughts! I apologize if anything isn't canon compliant, it's been a very long time since I've read the books or seen the movies.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Welcome back! I can't stop. Please remember these are just snippets, and not the full story. All of these fit together, and they are chronological to how I imagine things, but it's just small little pieces.**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

* * *

Gale stood on the platform, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, hands in his pockets.

He had never been this nervous to see anyone before, ever in his whole life. And this was Johanna Mason of all people, and he was nervous to see her. Or was it excitement? Maybe both. He honestly couldn't tell.

It had been a year or so since the last he saw her. She had been in 4 with Annie and Finnley for a while, and then to 12 where she spent longer than usual. Apparently, Peeta had been having a rough go of things and he had tried to hide it from her, but when she walked up to their house one day and Katniss was sitting on the front steps with he head in her hands, obviously distressed, Johanna had realized something was wrong and insisted on getting involved.

So Johanna had stayed longer, to help Katniss and Peeta get their life sorted back out how it was supposed to be, and waited even longer just to double check that Peeta's increased dose of medication kicked in and was working. It had been hard on everyone, especially Katniss and Peeta, but Johanna needed to get away from it- from them- or she'd break down too.

So then, about a week ago, Gale had received a phone call:

 _"Are you busy next week?"_

 _He grinned. "Well, hello to you too, Johanna."_

 _"Well are you?"_

 _"Not particularly. Why?"_

 _"I'm scheduling train tickets for next week. Mind if I come visit?"_

 _"I'd imagine that even if I said no, you'd still show up." He said in response._

 _She chuckled on the other end of the line. "I take that as a yes?"_

 _"What time's the train due to come in?"_

 _"Mmm, Thursday at 5:35 pm."_

 _"Alright, I'll see you then."_

The sound of the train coming close was unmistakable- a low rumble in the distance. He was not the only one waiting for someone. A small child tugged on her mother's skirt, announcing that she heard the train and Daddy was almost home. The child's mother smiled and stood up from her seat on a bench, taking the girl's hand. They walked forward to just behind the yellow line, about two feet from where Gale was standing. The woman and Gale exchanged friendly smiles. A few others milled about, some holding suitcases waiting to get on the train, some waiting for their friends and family.

A few moments later, the train pulled to a stop at the station and the doors opened, and a small crowd emerged. A friendly-looking mustached gentleman stumbled out with a suitcase and made his way over to his wife and child.

Johanna scanned the crowd before spotting Gale, a wide smile spread across her face. She slung her bag over one shoulder and pushed through the hoard to Gale. She stopped in front of him, and they stood there for a split second, unsure of what to do.

And then Johanna hugged him.

He stiffened at first, but then relaxed and returned the embrace.

There were few people in the world he let hug him. He supposed Johanna Mason now made the list.

She held on for a lot longer than expected, finally managing to say "I missed you, Pretty Boy."

He briefly rested his head on top of hers as his heart fluttered in a way he couldn't say he'd ever experienced before. "I missed you too." He didn't know why she missed him, or why he missed her. But he realized now, holding her close, that he did. For some reason, he had missed her. Maybe he'd figure it all out in due time. Or maybe he wouldn't. But holding her, somehow it felt right.

Finally she pulled away. Her ears were pinkish, or so they appeared. She ran her hand through her hair and shook her head gently, effectively covering her ears with her hair, preventing Gale from analyzing any further. She had grown her hair out to her mid back in the recent years, a personal rebellion of her own after the Capitol shaved her head. "Well, are we going to stand here all day making idle chit chat, or are we going to go get some food? I'm starving!"

Gale chuckled lightly. There she was. Johanna wasn't sappy. Johanna was quick and impatient and witty. And he enjoyed that about her. "Alright, alright. Come on. I hope you like macaroni and cheese." He started walking towards the exit to head to his house.

"I'd eat anything at this point!" She proclaimed, following after him. "Even your mediocre macaroni and cheese."

He rolled his eyes as he passed the little family he had seen reunite earlier as they got into their car. The woman smiled at him. He smiled back.

Johanna started to speak then, telling him something. Her words snapped his attention back to her as she jogged a little to catch up to him. Gale had quickly realized after befriending Johanna that she was hard to shut up if she knew and trusted you well enough. He certainly didn't mind. His house was big and empty and quiet with just him living there. Her endless chatter, even the playful insults, would be welcomed.

He didn't like being alone.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Thanks so much for reading! I hope you liked it!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**This is a very short chapter, but I think it does what I wanted it to do very well.**_

 _ **Enjoy ;)**_

* * *

The last thing she expected be doing on a Saturday morning was kissing Gale Hawthorne in his kitchen, but that's exactly what she was doing.

It was probably her that initiated it, but honestly, she couldn't remember. Nor did she care. She was enjoying it far too much to be concerned about the why or the how.

Somehow, they were wedged in a corner and all concept of space and time had been lost to them. All Johanna knew was the present and her present was Gale, that he was there, that he was real, that she was touching him and his hands were in her hair and God, she didn't know she needed that so bad, but she did. She didn't know she needed Gale that way. But it was… it was everything.

Seconds, moments, years later, they separated to breathe. Both panting, both flushed. Gale rested his forehead against hers and grabbed her by the waist.

" _Fuck_ , Hawthorne," Johanna murmured, looking into his eyes, after she had caught her breath. "Have you always been so _good_ at that?"

He smirked at her as he pulled her close and then kissed her again.

"I should've done that a long time ago." She said in response. It'd have been a lie if she said she never found Gale attractive, because he was. She had always found him attractive, but had never thought to kiss him before that day.

He chuckled. "You should have."

"Well, now what do we do?" Asked Johanna. It was truly a sincere question, she really didn't know. She had never felt this way with anyone before.

Gale kissed her behind her ear. "I have some ideas…"

* * *

 _ **A/N: What am I doing? How do I have so much material all of a sudden? WHERE IS ALL THIS INSPIRATION AND MOTIVATION COMING FROM?**_

 _ **Don't ask me, I'm certain I don't know.**_

 _ **Please let me know what you thought on this chapter! Thanks for reading!**_


	4. Chapter 4

**_Nightmare warning. No descripton of it, but just a warning._**

* * *

Gale's eyes blinked open and he rubbed at his eyes, squinting at the red numbers on his alarm clock next to his bed. He groaned internally at the sight of the way-too-early time and rolled over and caught himself before he laughed aloud at the sight before him.

Johanna was laying on her back, one arm crossed over her stomach, the other draped across her forehead and somehow coming out of the sleeve of her shirt. She was facing him with her mouth partly open. The blanket was at her knees and a piece of her hair was tangled in her fingers. She had not gone to bed that way. He wished he had a camera handy to take her picture so he could tease her about it later.

He sat up and untangled the comforter from around her legs as gently as possible and pulled it back over her. She mumbled something in her sleep and rolled over, facing away from him. Gale grinned, shook his head and then lay back down himself, closing his eyes.

He was almost asleep again when a squeaking noise frightened him back into a sitting position.

It was louder the next time. It was Johanna. Her face looked pained and she wriggled a bit, still asleep.

Gale was just about to attempt to gently wake her with a light lap on her arm when she screamed "NO! NO! GET AWAY!" She sounded terrified and her arms were trying to push something back. This was no time to be gentle, that would take too long.

"Johanna," he said rather loudly, shaking her. "Johanna! Wake up! Wake up! It's okay, you're okay. It's a dream! Wake up!"

And she did. She woke with a start and jumped into a sitting position, breathing hard, almost gasping for air as her eyes darted around the room, looking for a threat of danger.

"It's okay," Gale repeated, carefully reaching out to touch her arm. She jumped a bit at his touch. "It's alright, Jo. It's just me. Everything's okay. You're safe. It was just a dream."

After about a minute, she seemed to realize where she was, that it had just been a dream. She visibly relaxed a little, though she was still very obviously distressed.

"It's okay, you're okay." Gale repeated again. "You're safe."

Finally, she met his eyes. "G-gale…" she whimpered, voice trembling and sounding near tears.

He pulled her against his chest and she dissolved into tears. He had never seen Johanna like this. Usually, her nightmares didn't manifest physically. Usually, they'd just wake her and she'd stay up for a while before going back to sleep. It broke his heart to see her this upset.

"Sh," he whispered, combing his fingers through her hair as she trembled against him. "I'm here, I've got you. You're okay. Everything's okay now. I promise."

* * *

 ** _A/N: What'd you think? Please let me know how you liked it!_**


	5. Chapter 5

"We're going to have to tell her about this at some point, you know."

"No we don't." Gale replied, pulling a shirt over his head.

"You want me to tell her alone then? You know I could call her right now. And you know I would."

"I don't… listen, it's just, it's not a good time…"

"It's never a good time, is it? You can't be a chicken shit forever. She's going to find out eventually and I'd rather it be from us than some sleazy article or gossip or something." Johanna replied, propping herself up on her elbows.

"I'm not a chicken. I just don't think now's a good time."

"Okay, first of all, I called you a chicken _shit_. Second of all, what makes it not a good time? When _will_ it be a good time?" She sat up all the way, kicking the blanket off of her and crossing her arms, an eyebrow raised expectantly. It was hard for her to look intimidating with sleep-mussed hair and a pair of pale green pajamas (a gift from Effie a while back, who was insistent that every lady needed proper pajamas), but she still managed it just fine.

He turned around to face her. "Listen, Jo, it's just, I don't know it feels weird. I don't know why but it does."

"What feels weird? Telling Katniss? Or us?"

He sat on the edge of the bed and sighed. "Telling Katniss. Because… well…"

Johanna waited a few seconds to see if he would finish the thought before speaking again.

"Gale, I'm her friend. It feels weird for me to lie to her about this. It's been a year and a half of lying about where I'm going and where I am and why I don't stay with them as long now. I don't want to lie to her anymore. It's hard."

"I just… I don't want to hurt her feelings." Gale admitted, looking at his hands. He wasn't sure how it would hurt her feelings, Katniss had Peeta, whom she loved and he loved her. She had never loved him that way and he had moved on from those feelings for her years ago, and they hadn't spoken in years now. But he was still concerned over her feelings.

"What feelings?" Johanna demanded. "For _you_? You know that ship sailed a long time ago."

He shot her a look. "No, I- I don't know…"

"Don't you think she'll be hurt when she finds out we've been lying to her? And what about _my_ feelings?" Johanna asked, scooting closer to him, her voice gentler. "I don't like hiding us. Not that we have to flaunt it or anything, but this sort of sneaking around thing we're doing- it's not great Gale. I don't want to hide anymore. I've done enough hiding and pretending in my life. I want to _live_."

He looked to her. She was watching him with wide, almost pleading eyes, concern etched onto her face. He had never thought about it that way before. He took a deep breath. "I don't want to hide either."

Her face brightened a little. "Come to District 12 with me next week?"

He bit his lip. "Are-are you sure that's a good idea?"

"At least think about it? Please?"

He stood up from the bed and kissed the side of her head. "I'll think about it."

"Thank you,"

"See you later, Jo." He was going to work. Johanna, the nomadic Victor, did not have nor need a job unless she wanted one. The new government took care of the raining Victors well. Johanna often passed most of what she received to Annie and Finnley, or Peeta and Katniss to use for the bakery. Johanna was left to her own devices while Gale was gone. But that was okay. She had him most of the time. She had taken up little handicrafts over the years and between that, exploring, and watching mind-numbing television, she was entertained enough until Gale returned.

"See you," Johanna replied with a small smile.

He walked out of the room and Johanna heard the hall closet open so Gale could grab his coat. The door closed.

"Hey Gale?" Johanna called "I love you."

He smiled as he shrugged on his coat. They didn't say that very much. Johanna, well, because she had gone a very long time without anyone she loved and it made her nervous most days. Gale, because he didn't want to make her uncomfortable. "I love you too."


	6. Chapter 6

_**9/13/18- I added a little bit to this chapter. I like it better now.**_

* * *

Gale had been convinced to tag along on Johanna's visit to 12. He wasn't looking forward to it, but if it made Johanna happy, he would do it.

"We're stopping in 4 to see Annie and Finnley," Johanna told him a day before they were to leave. It had been a while since she had seen them and she missed them.

"Me too?" He asked.

"Yes, you too. We're spending the night at their house and then heading to 12 early the next morning."

"Are you sure Annie is okay with me coming?"

"Of course she is."

"What'd you tell her?"

"That I would have a friend with me. She asked me who, I said you and she said that was alright. So we're going." Johanna said in a tone of voice that told Gale he probably shouldn't ask more questions. She had decided what was happening and it was in his best interest to keep his mouth shut.

And so they left for 4. It was a very, very short train ride in comparison to the trek they would be making to 12 the next day.

Annie was waiting for them on the platform, Finnley was beside her, excited to see Johanna. He still had his bookbag on from school.

Gale had only been to 4 a handful of times, all for work, so he never stayed long or seen much beside official buildings. The air smelled different the moment he stepped off the train- it smelled sharp and salty, but not unpleasant. It smelled like the sea.

"Johanna!" Cried a little voice and a little body barreled itself into her legs.

Johanna laughed and scooped up the little boy in his bookbagged glory. "Hey, you. I missed you. Stop getting so big!"

"I missed you more!" Finnley announced, wrapping his arms around her neck. Finnley noticed Gale then.

"Who's that?" Finnley asked Johanna, pointing towards Gale.

"Oh, that's Gale." Johanna said casually. "He's a friend of mine. He was at the big party last year, remember?"

Finnley screwed up his face and thought for a moment. "Kinda,"

Gale noticed that the little boy looked like his father. So much so that Gale felt a little uneasy at the sight of him. Even his smile was the same. He hadn't really gotten a good look at the boy at the war commemoration, or maybe he hadn't wanted to see a little Finnick.

"Hi Gale!" Finnley chirped pleasantly.

"Hello Finnley. It's nice to meet you."

Finnley smiled and returned to hugging Johanna with all the enthusiasm a six year old boy could muster. And Johanna squeezed him back.

Annie hugged Johanna around her son, and to Gale's surprise, he received a hug from Annie as well.

"It's nice to see you again, Gale." Annie said with a sweet smile. So sweet, always so sweet. Johanna had remarked once that she wasn't sure how Annie was capable of remaining so sweet, so kind, after everything she had been through, but she appreciated it. It was a breath of fresh air.

"You too, Annie."

Johanna and Gale followed Annie and Finnley to their house. It was not an old Victor's Village house, but it was just as beautiful as one. It was a short walk from the back door to the ocean, and you could hear the waves from inside the house. On the train, Johanna had told Gale that she, Katniss, and Peeta had made sure that house would be built. It was Finnick's dream for him and Annie after they got married, and their friends had insisted on making it possible.

Finnley had insisted on showing Gale his room and all around the house, while Johanna smirked from her place at the kitchen table with Annie. Gale tagged along after the little boy and his enthusiastic chatter, eventually ending in them playing some convoluted two-person game of tag Finnley had created.

"You like him," Annie said to Johanna about Gale.

"I do."

Annie smiled at her friend over her cup of tea. "He makes you happy. Keep him around. He's good for you."

Johanna smiled back. "I plan on it."

They said their goodbyes to Finnley before he went to bed- they would be gone hours before he would be awake. Annie had let him stay up longer than usual, but it was late and time for him to go to sleep.

He frowned, but hugged Johanna goodnight. "Come visit more." He demanded.

"Alright, buddy. I will." Johanna chuckled. "Good night, buddy."

Finnley kissed her cheek and then went over to Gale.

"Thank you for playing with me," he said. Annie nodded at her little boy, she had told him to say that.

"You're welcome." Gale replied.

"Will you come back again?"

Gale didn't quite know what to say to that. He glanced at Johanna and then Annie.

"You're more than welcome to come back whenever Johanna does." She told him sincerely.

Gale looked back to Finnley. "Then, that's a yes. I will come back at some point."

Finnley grinned brightly and hugged Gale, who, though surprised, returned the hug.

"I like you. You're fun." Finnley told him. "Good night!"

"Good night, Finnley." Gale replied.

Finnley bounded off towards the hallway and took his mother's hand. He waved at Johanna and Gale once more before following Annie to his bedroom.

"They like you," Johanna told Gale quietly.

"I noticed," Gale said in response.

"Guess I oughta keep you around, huh?" She bumped her shoulder into his.

"Guess so," he replied with a laugh.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Featuring an actual sentence from**_ **The Great Gatsby _, a book I strongly dislike. I do not own Daisy Buchanan or Jay Gatsby._**

* * *

They took an early train from 4 to 12. It was easier that way, less potentially snoopy people to see them together. Johanna was still easily recognized around the country, even with her long hair, even with her scars. Johanna Mason wasn't easily forgotten. And Gale wasn't exactly a nobody either.

Gale hadn't been expecting Johanna to nod off an hour into their trip.

His arm was tingly by hour two, but he didn't dare move it.

It was very hard to flip the pages of a book with only one free arm. He had developed a love of books over the past several years. He hadn't had much time to read for pleasure growing up, but he used a lot of his free time to read now. He never really read anything out loud though, he was a little embarrassed that he wasn't a very fluent reader. He had much more important things to worry about as a child than practicing his fluency and worrying about how it affected his grades. As an adult he was a good hunter, a good soldier, he was analytical and he was good at solving problems, reading well out loud wasn't a very high priority.

When Johanna had found out about it, she made him read things out loud to her. Something he hated at first, but grew better at slowly. He wasn't sure why she cared so much, but he was happy to appease her because it meant he got to see her smile.

The train was quiet. They were the only two in the car. Perhaps the best place for her to catch a nap and him to make a good dent in his book.

Johanna woke up around hour four.

"Hello there, Sleeping Beauty." Gale teased lightly as she stretched and he shook his arm out. "You put my arm to sleep."

Johanna scrunched up her face at the pet name and rolled her eyes, finishing by swatting his leg. She rubbed at her face, yawned and asked, "What are you reading?"

"An old book. Really old before Panem was Panem. It's called The Great Gatsby."

"Read it to me," Johanna said.

"I'm almost done. You sure you want me to read only the last two chapters to you? I can read another one from the beginning so you can follow the story at least."

"Just read it to me." Johanna replied, curling up on the seat, resting her head on her arm, attentive but relaxed.

"' _When they met again, two days later, it was Gatsby who was breathless, who was, somehow, betrayed. Her porch was bright with the bought luxury of star-shine; the wicker of the settee squeaked fashionably as she turned toward him and he kissed her curious and lovely mouth. She had caught a cold, and it made her voice huskier and more charming than ever, and Gatsby was overwhelmingly aware of the youth and mystery that wealth imprisons and preserves, of the freshness of many clothes, and of Daisy..._ '" Read Gale.

He could sense Johanna's eyes on him, watching him read. He still could not understand why she liked to hear him read so much, but he didn't stop to ask.

There were a lot of things he didn't get about Johanna Mason, lots of things he still wanted to learn about. That would come in due time, he was sure. For right now, he would just read.


	8. Chapter 8

The visit hadn't started off too great.

 _Johanna_ had to lead _Gale_ through District 12, which clearly upset him a little. It had changed so much since his last time there, since his childhood, he had no idea how to get to Victor's Village from the train station anymore.

"I used to be able to walk to places with my eyes closed," he muttered. He had once known the place better than the back of his own hand, and now it was completely foreign to him. The district was modernized. The line between the Seam and where the merchants lived was gone. There were houses, stores, a hospital, a shiny new school building. The roads and paths were different too. And there were way more cars around than there ever were when he lived there.

"Well, times are a-changin', Hawthorne." Johanna replied simply, shifting her bag on her shoulder.

After they met up with Katniss and Peeta, after she was sure no one was going to kill anyone, she wanted him to show her where he grew up. She wanted to meet his family. She had seen Hazelle and the kids around a little bit during her visits to 12 and Katniss had told her about them some. But she wanted to meet them. They were the only family Gale had.

Gale seemed… off from the moment they stepped foot off the train. Not mad really, not sad, just… not Gale.

And it put Johanna on edge.

This was not the Gale she was used to. She hadn't known him back in his broody, angst-filled days the way Katniss had, the way she talked about sometimes if you listened carefully enough. No, Johanna new him as a carefully thinking, analytical, clever man who maybe didn't talk all that much and still had issues with not bottling up his emotions, but he was funny. He was smart. And he was protective, but not in a smothering way. She knew him as a guy who had a few demons and who put up with hers. And he wasn't sappy like Peeta, but he made it very clear that he cared about her. Johanna's Gale didn't look quite as droopy and weighed down at Katniss' did. Johanna wanted her Gale back.

It wasn't until they got near to the Village that things started to look familiar again to Gale. That part hadn't changed much, besides some fresh paint and renovations. But even the surprise of things being the way they used to be wan't enough to shake Gale from his funk.

He stopped just outside the archway and took a deep breath.

Johanna reached for his hand and squeezed it.

"Maybe this isn't such a great idea…"

"She misses you," she murmured. "I know she does."

He shook his head. "After what I did?"

"Gale…" she breathed. They had been over this. He had been over this with a psychologist. She knew it wasn't his fault though, she knew the guilt and the ghosts were strong and hard to get past.

He was silent as he glanced at the house he knew was Katniss'. There were primroses planted in front of the house. He hadn't expected anything else. And he knew she would have loved it.

Johanna tugged at his hand. "It's going to be okay,"

And so she lead him the few hundred feet to Katniss and Peeta's door. And then he let go of her hand and waited at the bottom of the stairs.

Johanna turned to him, a silent question in her eyes. He nodded. Yes, he was ready.

She knocked three times.

There were footsteps behind the door and then the door swung open, revealing a familiar face and braid.

"Johanna!" Katniss cried. "You didn't say you were coming!"

"Yeah, sorry. It was… sort of a last minute decision…"

"No, no that's totally fine! We missed you. Come in!" Katniss urged, opening the door wider. "Peeta's at the bakery, he'll be back later. I know he'll be happy to see you."

"Well," Johanna said, shifting her weight uncomfortably. "I hope you don't mind if I brought along a stray I found."

Gale stepped to the left, out from behind Johanna. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Hey Catnip,"

Katniss' face fell immediately.

* * *

 ** _A/N: Uh oh. Now what? Let me know your thoughts!_**


	9. Chapter 9

Katniss roughly yanked Johanna by the arm into the house and shut the door behind them, leaving Gale confused outside.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Johanna hissed.

"Why'd you bring him?" Katniss demanded.

"Because I wanted to." Johanna replied shortly.

"And you didn't even tell me?"

"What, that he wanted to see his family? Not everything involves you. Jesus, Katniss, that's a little conceited, don't you think?"

"I'm not an idiot," Katniss replied, pointing a finger at Johanna. "He hasn't been back to 12 in 6 years to see his family. Why would he suddenly come now? You had everything to do with this and I know it. You didn't just bump into him on the train."

Johanna was quiet for a split second. She hadn't thought this far ahead, not really. She wasn't totally sure what to say. But that had never stopped her before, so just just spoke. "He misses you, you fuck. And I know you miss him. I'm sick of his sulky attitude whenever I mention you. You better make up, I can't deal with it anymore."

"Sick of his- I'm sorry, what?"

"What?"

"How would you…?" Katniss trailed off as she thought about the circumstances Johanna and Gale could possibly know each other well enough where they spoke about her casually.

"You get to know a lot about a person when you wake each other up with nightmares and are up until 4 in the morning." Johanna said flatly in response.

Katniss' eyes widened as she put the pieces together. "So that's where you've been all this time? In District 2? With him?"

"Congrats, Brainless, you've figured it out." Johanna rolled her eyes.

"You're… with Gale?" Katniss' voice was a whisper at most, and her shock was very apparent. "Like… together, as in a couple?"

"Listen, I don't know if I'd go that far with it. But yes."

"When did you-? How did that happen?"

"I knew him a bit from 13 and the war and everything, but we bumped into each other again at the commemoration. And he said if I was ever in 2, I should stop by. So I did. And then, well, I went back after I left you last time." Johanna finished with a shrug.

Katniss blinked. "You've slept with him." It was not a question.

Johanna flipped her hair over her shoulder with her hand before returning her hand to rest on her hip. She and Katniss were toe to toe, upset with each other for reasons they did not fully understand. "Since when has my sex life been any of your business, Everdeen?"

Katniss rolled her eyes. "That's a yes, then."

"So what if I did? Why does that matter so much to you?"

"I'm- I just couldn't picture…" Katniss shook her head. She couldn't picture Gale and Johanna together at all, let alone that way. Gale had been her friend for so many years and had never seemed one to be too concerned with physical intimacy. He had had walls up as long as Katniss had known him. And Johanna, well she was a ball of fire constantly. Katniss wasn't quite sure how that would even work, not that she wanted to spend any time at all thinking about it.

"Well good, don't."

The abruptness and confidence of her response made Katniss laugh suddenly, and the tension between them disappeared as Johanna joined in.

"So, can you talk to him? I would like you to be able at least play nice together."

"I guess I can…"

"He really does miss you, Katniss." Johanna's voice softened.

Katniss nodded. "…I miss him too."

"Well, here's your chance to get your best friend back. Go for it." Johanna dramatically gestured towards the door.

Katniss sucked in a deep breath and opened the door.

Gale hadn't moved from his spot standing awkwardly in front of the house, but he had turned around to look down the path that led to the place he had grown up in and had changed so much since he had seen it last.

Katniss went down the stairs and stopped beside him. He looked at her, unsure what she would do now. Half of him wanted to hug her, half of him wanted to run. But he stayed put.

"Follow me. I think we should talk." She said, starting off towards the woods.

He smiled and started after her. "Alright."

He looked over his shoulder and saw Johanna smiling from her place in the doorway.

* * *

 _ **A/N: I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. Let me know what you think!**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**Hello everyone! I have a Spotify playlist for this fic, PM me if you'd like the link!**_

 _ **This is my favorite chapter so far! Please Enjoy!**_

* * *

"How long?" Haymitch asked Johanna. They were sitting on Haymitch's back steps, watching the geese. Effie had a chair on the back porch where she sat, sewing something. She hummed under her breath occasionally as she did so. Her hair was no longer vibrant colors. Her hair was blonde and curly and she kept it swept back in a bun these days.

"Almost two years." Johanna replied.

"How come you didn't tell anyone?"

"Lots of reasons," Johanna muttered, kicking her shoe against the dirt under her feet.

"How'd you get him back here?"

"I asked. And then he said he'd think about it and after a day or so, I told him he was coming with me. Wouldn't take no for an answer."

"That's my girl," Haymitch grinned at her. "I was worried you'd changed when I heard. That he'd have turned you into some pretty little docile District 2 housewife or something."

Johanna snorted at that. Docile little house wife, her ass. Never gonna happen. She refused to do what other people told her to do most times and she also didn't give a damn what anyone thought of her. Never had. And she wasn't going to change for a man. Fuck that.

"I mean some change ain't that bad." Haymitch added, glancing over at Effie who smiled at him. "But you can't loose who you are, kid. That's when stuff falls apart."

"When'd you get so smart, Haymitch?" Johanna asked him in a teasing tone.

"Somewhere between marrying that one and getting sober." He replied, hooking a thumb back at Effie.

Love did funny things to people sometimes, Johanna supposed. Haymitch, who who had been a drunk since she met him and long before, had decided on his and Effie's wedding day that he was going to stop drinking. And he had. It had taken a while, but he had. 37 months sober, by Johanna's calculations. She was proud of him. He hadn't changed much, he was just more pleasant to be around. Less violent and somewhat less angry. All because he loved Effie. No, change wasn't always a bad thing.

"He helps me. With the bad days." Johanna admitted, pushing her hair back behind her ear before resting her chin in her hand. She didn't have as many bad days as she used to. Whether that was because of time or Gale being in her life she wasn't quite sure. But he was always there when she needed him. He had called off work once because she hadn't slept at all the night before and couldn't pull herself out of bed for anything or even form a sentence, just to sit with her.

"You know, I never liked that boy much," Haymitch told her. "Put up with him when I had to, for Katniss' sake. But you make him sound halfway down decent. Maybe he's not so bad after all."

At that moment, Gale and Katniss emerged from the woods, both laughing. They had gone out together everyday since Johanna and Gale had come to 12, over a week by this point. They had a lot of catching up to do. Johanna had been asked to tag along on the second or third day, but she had refused. The woods were Gale and Katniss' place and it didn't feel right to intrude.

Neither Johanna nor Peeta were bothered at all by their daily escapades into the woods. There was no jealousy harbored. Everything was fine. Johanna had expected Peeta perhaps to be a little irked, but he wasn't. Johanna suspected it was because Katniss now wore a gold band with a stone that glistened in the sun on her left ring finger. He had nothing at all to worry about.

They were far enough what Johanna could only hear that Katniss and Gale were talking, not what they were saying. Johanna however could tell that Gale looked a lot younger, a lot happier. He had his best friend back.

Gale dropped a leaf on Katniss' head and she scowled at him, shoving him playfully. He shoved her back and she dropped the bag she carrying to aim a punch at him with her dominant hand. He moved out of the way just in time and she lost her balance for a split second. He grabbed her arm to steady her, all the while smirking at her.

Katniss shook her head, picked up the bag from the ground and headed towards where Johanna, Effie, and Haymitch sat. Gale was just behind her.

"What'd you two manage to get?" Haymitch asked Katniss as she came close enough. Katniss didn't really need to hunt anymore. They had a grocery store in 12 now, one that had meat fresh from District 10 and produce from District 11. It was affordable too, and sometimes they bought it. But trying to make Katniss stop hunting would be like trying to make Peeta stop baking- impossible.

"Four squirrels," Katniss said, slipping the bag down her arm.

"Would've been more, but someone caught a case of the giggles and everything in a 5 mile radius ran off." Gale added, coming up to stand beside his friend.

"Oh, don't act all innocent Mr. Terrible Accent." Katniss countered.

Johanna had absolutely no idea what they were on about, and quite frankly she didn't care. Gale was happy. And so was Katniss.

"You sure you don't want to come before we go home, Johanna?" Gale asked. The following day was their last whole day in District 12 before going back to 2. Johanna smiled at Gale's mention of 'we' and 'home', but shrugged half-heartedly in response and shook her head.

"You really wanna trust Johanna Mason with a weapon?" Haymitch asked Gale.

"Brave boy," Effie chimed in.

Gale chuckled and Johanna rolled her eyes.

Johanna sighed. "I can't with you people."

"Let's go eat," Katniss said after a beat of silence.

"Sounds good to me." Haymitch replied.

Katniss nodded and walked away, heading toward the house she shared with Peeta. Johanna followed her and Gale fell into step beside her. Haymitch and Effie pulled up the rear.

And so four victors, a former escort, and a rebel soldier sat down for dinner together that summer evening, with lemonade and laughs.

And if Haymitch noticed Johanna take Gale's hand under the table, he sure didn't mention it.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Just a little blurb about Johanna and Gale back in District 2, being normal people who get mail, drink tea, and sit around reading.**_

* * *

Johanna tossed an envelope at Gale before dropping onto the couch. "Rory sent you a letter."

"Rory?" Gale wondered aloud, putting down the book he was reading and picking up the envelope. His siblings didn't often mail them of their own will, usually tagging along in their mother's letters. Posy sometimes wrote to him, but even those were few and far between. It was easier just to call.

"That's what it says," Johanna replied, setting down the cup of tea she had gotten from the kitchen on the table beside the couch.

Gale opened the envelope and pulled out a piece of yellow paper with his eldest little brother's neat but somewhat rushed-looking handwriting. Rory worked at District 12's old Justice Building, now called City Hall. He loved his job, but he did admit to there being some slow days. That's probably where he wrote the letter, as City Hall workers typically had yellow notepads.

After a moment or two of reading in silence, Gale raised his eyebrows and muttered something.

"What's it say?" Johanna asked curiously, knowing he wouldn't tell her if it was too private.

"He's dating someone."

"Well, he's 20. He was bound to ask a girl out at some point." Johanna pointed out, figuring Gale had gone into protective older brother mode.

"No, it's… it's not a girl." Gale explained, looking over to her.

"Oh," Johanna shrugged. "Alright. So?"

"I just wasn't expecting it. He had a huge crush on… on Prim when they were kids."

"People swing both ways," Johanna said casually. Sexuality hadn't been an issue just about anywhere Johanna had ever been. When she was growing up in District 7, she recalled two of her girl classmates stealing kisses behind trees. Her childhood neighbors were two men who had taken in a little boy. And her experiences in the Capitol proved that they certainly didn't care either way. Marriage wasn't recognized back then, but besides that, no one cared. District 12 had been more old fashioned, but Johanna doubted that anyone there had an issue with it either.

"Yeah, I know." Gale replied. "It's just… it's _Isiah_."

"Who?" Johanna asked, reminding him again that she hadn't grown up with the people he named so easily when he recounted old memories.

"He's a year older than Rory. He was annoying when they were kids. Drove me crazy. Never shut up, ever." Gale shook his head and laughed. "Rory absolutely couldn't _stand_ him."

Rory took after Gale in a sense that neither of them talked very much, however he was much more outgoing than his big brother and was a lot gentler, he thought with his heart. The few times she had spoken to him, he had been nothing but sweet and he sounded like a sensible young man. The image of Rory dating someone who had once driven him crazy made Johanna laugh too.

"It sounds like he really likes him though. I wonder what changed."

"They're older, maybe this Isiah mellowed out," Johanna suggested. She smirked slyly. "Or… maybe your brother is in to being annoyed."

Gale made a face at her, clearly disturbed by the thought of his baby brother doing anything of the sort that Johanna's comment suggested. She fell into a fit of loud laughter.

He threw the envelope at her, which fluttered pathetically to the floor. "You're so, ugh, oh Jo, that was too much."

"Oh, but you love me."

He answered her with a laugh and leaning over to kiss her.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Hope you liked this little blurb!**_


	12. Chapter 12

They were back in 12 and there was a festive feeling in the early autumn air.

It was Peeta and Katniss' wedding day. _Finally_.

It was a relatively small event. Haymitch, Effie, Annie, and Finnley were all in attendance. Mrs. Everdeen had come in for the big day, as had Pollux and Cressida, Flavius, Octavia, and Venia. Hazelle, Rory, Vick, and Posy were also present, as were Delly Cartwright and Greasy Sae and her granddaughter.

The "legal" part of the ceremony had taken place in City Hall. An exchange of words, of promises, a few signatures, and a kiss while the couple's family and friends looked on. Johanna and Annie had been asked by Katniss to stand with her, Peeta had asked Haymitch and Finnley (which everyone cooed over). After the formalities had taken place, the newlyweds had led the small but enthusiastic caravan of wedding guests back to their house, where the fun of the wedding would take place.

As Johanna understood it, this was where the traditions of District 12 would take place, all culminating in the Toasting at the end of the night. These traditions involved eating, something involving cake, and dancing. All of these sounded typical of weddings to the former resident of District 7, but apparently the way they did things in 12 was a bit different.

The festivities happened in the yard behind Katniss and Peeta's house. After everyone had eaten and the tables cleared, it was time for Katniss and Peeta's first dance as a married couple. A few fellow district 12 residents had offered to play the music for the evening and a slow but enthusiastic tune filled the air as the fiddle players and percussionist began to play. Gale and whispered to Johanna that whatever this song was had always been used for the first dance in 12.

Katniss and Peeta danced together, and is was quite the sweet sight. Peeta looked tearful and Katniss was misty-eyed, but they were both beaming as they waltzed around their backyard together. Katniss' simple, but beautiful white dress gave her the appearance of floating and it spread out into a circle around her legs as Peeta spun her. When that song ended, the crowd clapped for the couple, and Katniss and Peeta almost tripped over each other getting back to their seats.

"They're supposed to dance with their parents now," Gale had muttered to Johanna when she had given him a quizzical look. "But Mr. Everdeen and Mrs. Mellark aren't here. They're going to skip over that part."

Johanna nodded.

To his surprise however, the band started yet another tune and Haymitch and Effie rose from their seats and approached the couple. Katniss had started to cry and Peeta flushed.

"Come on, sweetheart." Haymitch said, offering Katniss his hand. "Ain't every day I get to dance with you."

Katniss took his hand and stood up as Peeta stood up with Effie. There wasn't a dry eye anywhere as Haymitch led Katniss in a traditional District 12 dance and Effie and Peeta both laughed tearfully at themselves for not being the best dancers.

The applause was raucous as the song ended. Johanna wiped at her tears, but she managed to see the big smiles on her friends' faces, Haymitch and Katniss hug, and Peeta kiss Effie's cheek. Johanna was not a crier, and the sight prompted Gale to chuckle good-naturedly at her. She liked seeing her friends happy. They had all been through too much. They needed to be happy now.

Then the real fun started. An upbeat, cheerful tune filled the air and Peeta and Katniss returned to each other. Annie had moved to the dance floor with Finnley, so had Haymitch and Effie. Pollux had extended an invitation to dance to Cressida, and Rory danced with his mother as Vick danced with Posy. Delly and Mrs. Everdeen ended up as partners because they both knew the dances of District 12, but Katniss' old prep team sat politely at their seats with the ancient Greasy Sae and her granddaughter, who twisted and folded her napkin methodically. They were the only ones sitting besides Gale, who clearly remembered this dance and Johanna, who looked bewildered at the ease of which her friends managed to dance.

Gale looked to her. He looked hopeful. "Will you dance with me?"

She snorted. "I don't dance." She wasn't good at it, she never had been. She couldn't remember a time where she could manage to clap in time, let alone anything else.

"Come on, I'll teach you."

"It'll be a lost cause, Hawthorne."

"It's really not that hard, Jo. Even Finnley's figured it out." Gale promised nodding at Finnley who was, in fact, bouncing along in time and keeping up with everyone else, though he was not tall enough to spin his mother when the dance called for it, so she spun him instead, making him laugh hysterically. Annie and Finnley were a vision of District 4 in their clothes, Annie in a sea green and light blue knee-length dress with just a little sparkle and Finnley in a pale blue shirt and a darker blue little bow tie. And they were glowing. "You don't have to be good. It's just for fun."

She sighed, but agreed. But only to make him happy.

He smiled and together they joined the lively crowd.

Johanna bumped into Haymitch in the first 30 seconds of trying to keep up with everyone, who lightheartedly told her to watch it.

Gale found it funny that Johanna was concentrating so hard. She wasn't going to give up now that she decided to try, she was stubborn that way, but she was stumbling about none the less.

Hazelle caught notice of this, and decided to start yelling out directions. Unfortunately for everyone else, no one knew why she started yelling left, LEFT, go left, especially Johanna who was so focused on not stepping on anyone that she had tuned out just about anything else.

"Johanna! Left!" Hazelle tried again.

"Left!" cried at least three other people.

"What? Okay left!" Johanna replied, finally hearing those around her.

Hazelle continued to call out directions to Johanna, and Johanna finally seemed to be catching on, or at least, she quit stepping on feet. The hilarity of the situation and giddiness of the day finally caught up to Johanna, and she started laughing.

"Spin!"

And so Johanna spun, and then song ended.

The wedding guests politely clapped for the band and Johanna was still smiling.

"I told you it was fun," Gale told her, pulling her closer than he needed to.

"Once I figured out what the hel-heck I was supposed to be doing, sure." Johanna replied, censoring herself due to Finnley's presence.

Gale smiled at her, and probably would've kissed her if the next song started and Mrs. Everdeen reminding everyone on the outside that they were moving down the circle one partner.

Johanna stepped to the left, and ran straight into Hazelle. Johanna flushed slightly out of embarrassment, but the older lady only laughed kindly. "Other way, dear. We always go to the right for things like this. I'll let you know when to move down again."

Johanna nodded quickly and stepped to the right, in front of her partner just as it was time to start dancing.

Haymitch laughed and took her hands. "This one's easier, promise. All you gotta do is keep up."

"Good," Johanna said, as they sashayed to the left together, before going back, and then forward and then left. The pattern repeated itself and Haymitch laughed.

"Look at you, you got it!"

"Well, I guess my teacher last time wasn't the greatest." Johanna replied, meeting Gale's eye, who smiled and shook his head in response.

Haymitch laughed.

"Okay Johanna," Hazelle said. "Spin to Peeta."

"Spin?" Johanna clarified, eyes wide.

"Yes,"

"Spin when?"

"Now!"

And so Johanna spun down one partner to Peeta, who laughed at her over-zealous spin. "Don't worry, you'll get used to these sorts of dances."

The question of why fell flat on her tongue as Peeta glanced at Gale, who had ended up with Delly.

"Are you having fun?" Peeta asked her.

"You know what? I am." Johanna replied honestly. "District 12 weddings are a lot more fun than the ones back home ever were."

Peeta smiled at her as she spun away again, only to end up with Annie as her partner.

And they laughed together as they danced and the fabric of Annie's green dress and Johanna's dark purple swirled together.

For a split second in her joy, Johanna saw herself dancing in a white dress, but as fast as the thought came, it went away as Pollux became her new partner.

Besides, it would never happen.

* * *

 **A/N: I've always imagined that at some point Katniss and Peeta would remember that they aren't married and then get married. That's why Haymitch and Effie are married first. Hope you liked this chapter!**


	13. Chapter 13

**_Bit of a shorter chapter here, as there was just a few reasonably long ones close together._**

 ** _This chapter references depression and medication. I didn't get too in depth (frankly I could've gone way deeper, but I didn't want to stress myself or anyone else out for that matter). I know this is a tender subject. Read with caution if you're sensitive to things like this._**

* * *

Gale sighed as he shut the door behind him. It had not been a good day. Or a good week. Or a good… anything, really. He was tired and angry and sad all the time and he couldn't figure it out. It was really starting to get on his nerves.

Nothing made him happy, and no matter how much he slept- when he managed to fall asleep, he was exhausted. Everything felt like a chore, even getting off the couch or tying his shoes. He was sick of it. Truly. Especially since it came out of nowhere.

"What's your problem?" Johanna questioned, looking up from the letter she was writing at the kitchen table. It was unlike him to come in like that.

He didn't answer. He hung up his coat and sat on the couch, afraid that if he tried to say anything he'd end up saying something he'd regret, which seemed to be happening at work more often that he'd like to admit. He was either sad or really, really angry, there wasn't really an in between, no other options anymore.

"Gale?" Johanna asked, making her way to the living room.

He still didn't reply. He was really trying his best to hide how he was feeling from Johanna. He didn't want to upset or concern her in any way.

"You've been acting really weird." She added.

"I don't want to talk about it." He managed to say in a much harsher tone than he intended. "Just, leave me alone." He knew he should apologize, but he couldn't bring himself to apologize.

Johanna's face fell at his words, but her face immediately hardened. She returned to the kitchen table and they didn't speak for the rest of the evening.

* * *

"Have you been keeping up with your medication?"

"Huh?"

It was two am and neither of them were asleep, but Gale had thought Johanna was.

"Have you been taking in when you're supposed to?" Johanna asked again, rolling over to face him.

"Yeah… I thought I wasn't supposed to feel like this anymore." Some time after the war, Gale had been diagnosed with depression and had been put on medication, which Johanna knew about all too well as she was on medication herself for various reasons and had been for a very long time. The Hunger Games and the war had not been kind to anyone and it was an anomaly among the survivors to not need any kind of treatment.

"Usually at some point, the meds stop working like they're supposed to and you need to get a higher dose." Johanna explained. She had gone up and down more times than she could count. "Have you ever changed?"

"No." Gale admitted.

"It's been years, Gale. You might need to go up."

He sighed. "I know… I just… I don't want those damn side effects again. I felt sick for weeks."

"But when the side effects stopped, did you feel better?"

"Yeah. I've felt… good all this time."

"I know side effects suck. I went through 3 meds before they found one that worked for me. And then they had to add on that other one a few years later. And the side effects were brutal. But usually, just going up isn't all that bad if anything at all happens."

"I hate it, Jo. That I have to take medication to live like a normal person." Gale sounded near tears.

"Hey, hey. It's nothing to be ashamed of." Johanna promised, reaching out to touch his arm.

"It makes me feel like I'm not strong enough to- I don't know…"

"It makes you feel weak. I know the feeling. It was hard for me, but once I accepted that the medication was helping me… I realized it wasn't weak to ask for help when you need it. And if that and meds help can help you get your life back… it's for the best. Even if it seems humiliating."

Gale was silent. Johanna scooted closer to him.

"I feel like such an idiot. You and-and everyone else have been through so much more than I have and I can't even handle-"

"My experiences don't invalidate yours." Johanna replied, paraphrasing something her psychiatrist had said to her many times.

"This sounds ridiculous- but why did you put up with me like this? You didn't have to… you could've just… left."

Johanna smiled sadly. "It is ridiculous. But I know that's depression talking, so I'll let it slide."

Gale laughed a bit.

"Make an appointment to talk to someone about your meds. Please. I really don't like seeing you like this."

"I will." Gale replied.

"I'm here to talk whenever you need me. And I'm not going anywhere. _Ever_."

Gale pulled her closer. "I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ ** _Please, if you need help, do not be ashamed to ask for help. Do not be ashamed to be prescribed meds. You can and will get through anything. I believe in, and love, each and every one of you._**


	14. Chapter 14

_**I know it isn't winter, but this idea was too perfect to wait on.**_

* * *

The air was crisp and cool and heavy with the scent of snow. It didn't usually snow very much in District 2, and if it did, it didn't stick around, but for some reason they had a solid coating of snow that was measured in at 4 inches and some snow drifts were almost 2 feet tall.

To say Gale and Johanna were comfortable in the winter weather was an understatement. Gale had grown up in District 12, where he spent winters split between a poorly insulted house and the woods. Johanna had essentially grown up in a forest as well, being from District 7. Her family was better off than Gale's had ever been and they were by no means wealthy by District 7 terms, but 7 wasn't a poor district.. Her house had always been warm, but she had spent many winter days in trees and causing general mischief with others around her age.

Other residents of District 2 were not fairing as well. They weren't used to such cold temperatures and so much snow, though the children did seem to be making the most of it.

They were walking back from some party that one of Gale's coworker's wives had thrown in honor of Christmas being a celebrated holiday once again. Johanna hadn't wanted to go at first, but considering Gale seemed very excited about the prospect of the party, she had decided to join him, however begrudgingly.

It was the first time she had ever gone with him to anything. It was also the first time a lot of people learned Gale was not living alone and was in some sort of relationship with someone. It was quite the shock to everyone at the party that Johanna Mason had entered the house and that Gale Hawthorne had taken up the invitation to bring a guest. However, after the initial few minutes of murmuring and people pretending to not know who she was, things settled down and Johanna had been approached by a very cheerful red-headed young lady who introduced herself as Hadley who had tempted Johanna over to meet a few people with the promise of cookies and hot chocolate. Johanna later learned that Hadley was the eldest daughter of whoever's party it was, she was barely eighteen. Johanna had felt a little self-conscious at first that she had to be brought to socialize by a teenager, but as she found herself enjoying the company of Hadley and the others, she wasn't so put off by the fact anymore.

It wasn't all that late as they walked back home. They heard the chatter of people ice skating on the rink that had been set up in the park far before they saw them, but it grew louder as they approached. Johanna stopped to admire the large pine tree that had been erected in the center of the park. The tree had been lined with multicolored lights and decorative ornaments. In an odd way it sort of reminded her of home. Christmas, and all holidays that had any sort of religious ties in any way, had been outlawed following the Dark Days and was only recently making a resurgence in Panem, but District 7 had always celebrated mid-winter by decorating pine trees with wooden figures and woven garlands. They had never been strung with lights, but it felt familiar all the same.

"Did you celebrate mid-winter in 12?" Johanna asked Gale.

"No. We celebrated when spring came. Because if you saw spring, it meant winter didn't kill you." Was the simple reply.

Johanna hummed in response.

"What are you thinking about?" Gale asked, looking at her. The glow of the multicolored lights made her face look reddish-orange and her eyes sparkled.

"I like it… this Christmas thing… it reminds me of home."

"Have you ever been back?"

She shook her head. Out of all her travels, she had never been able to bring herself to return to her home after the war. She had nothing there anyway.

"…we should go sometime." He replied gently. "If you want."

"We?" She asked, looking over to him with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah… you went with me back home, it's only fair I return the favor."

She smirked a bit. "Who are you and what have you done with Gale?"

"Ha ha. Very funny," he teased, pulling her hat down over her eyes.

She shoved him with hand hand while she fixed her hat with the other. He only laughed.

"You know what else reminds me of home?" She asked.

"What?"

She bent over and scooped snow into her hand and packed it into a ball. "This!" She threw the snowball at him and he shouted in surprise, a splatter of snow on the front of his coat.

She laughed and ran away from him, only to get hit square in the back by a snowball.

"I'm better at long range!" He yelled to her as she glared back over her shoulder at him.

She retaliated by returning fire, with a well-aimed snowball to the stomach. She was better at close range, but her long range wasn't half-bad.

He laughed and soon they were in a full-out snowball fight, running around making snowballs and throwing teasing insults almost as fast as they were throwing snowballs. Their laughter rang through the crisp air.

It started to snow, and when Gale realized, he stopped building his little pile of snowballs and looked up at the sky. While he was distracted, Johanna came up behind him and dropped an armload of snow on his head.

"Hey you," he complained with a smile, managing to grab her before she ran too far away from him. He had grabbed her and in the process, had pinned her arms to her sides. He was bigger than her and once he had her, she wasn't going anywhere. She realized this quickly and stopped wriggling, but continued to laugh.

She managed to turn a bit and he released his hold on her. She turned to face him and she brushed snow out of his hair. Both of them were red-faced from laughter and the cold, but neither of them cared.

Gale chuckled as he pulled a chunk of a snowball from Johanna's hair. As cliché as it sounded, he couldn't remember a time where she looked more beautiful. Red-faced and snow-covered and smiling, Johanna was glowing. How he had ended up lucky enough to be the one goofing around with her in a park in the middle of winter, he had no idea. But he was happy.

He was shaken from his thoughts when Johanna pulled him towards her by the front of his coat and went to kiss him.

"Your nose is freezing," he managed to tell her before their lips met.

And for a little while, they were the only ones in the world.


	15. Chapter 15

Johanna was trembling so much she could hardly walk. Her breathing was shallow and she felt tears prick her eyes. She hadn't realized what she was doing until she heard Annie's voice on the other end of the phone greet her pleasantly. Apparently, her brain had decided the best course of action to take was to call her friend in District 4.

"-you alright? Johanna?"

"I-I'm here," Johanna managed to reply, coming to her senses enough to hear Annie's voice. Her voice was shaky. Annie could tell immediately that something was wrong.

"What's going on? Is everything okay?" Annie sounded a little panicked. "Johanna, are you seeing your house or somewhere else?"

One time, many years ago, Johanna had such a vivid flashback in District 6 that she was entirely uncertain as to where she was. She had managed to call Annie, however, and had been talked out of it.

"The house… I'm- it's okay. I mean, no I'm not, but I do know where I am." Johanna replied, before sliding her back down the wall to sit on the floor. Her legs felt like they were going to give out any second and she didn't want to fall.

"Well, that's always a good thing. Can you breathe alright?"

"No," Johanna replied, tucking her legs to her chest. Her chest felt tight. But that still wasn't the problem.

"Take some deep breaths and then we'll ta-"

"Annie, I think I'm pregnant."

"Oh," Annie said very quietly on the other end of the line. Neither of them said anything for a long while. "Is that… you're scared, aren't you?"

"I'm terrified. I can't do this!" Johanna admitted, leaning her head back against the wall, staring up at the ceiling. "I can't be someone's mother. I'm too fu-messed up. Annie, I can't do this. I really, really can't!"

"Hey now, easy. Take a deep breath for me."

Johanna did as she was told. It was hard, but she did it. And she felt a little less shaky afterwards.

"Have you and Gale ever talked about… anything like this?"

Johanna shook her head, but then realized Annie couldn't see her. "No. Nothing. Never." Truth be told, not once had she ever thought of Gale as her boyfriend or anything similar. Labels like that seemed arbitrary to her her whole life, and especially so after the war. That coupled with the fact that both Gale and herself thought only of the past and present as if the future could still be yanked out from under them didn't really allow much room for serious discussions about anything that could come later.

"I think you ought to now." Annie replied gently.

"You think?" Johanna asked, harsher than she expected, pushing her hand into her hair. "Sorry… I didn't mean to… sound that way."

"It's alright. We all say things we don't mean when we're upset."

"What do I do?" Johanna asked, on the verge of tears.

"Well first of all, I think you should find out for sure before you get too worked up. And then you need to think about what you want to do if you are."

"I'm not even supposed to be able to have a kid!" It was true. After the war, it had been pretty much a fact that all the things she had gone through in the Capitol would pretty much prevent her from ever having a child, which was fine for her, as she was certain she had never wanted children. "I guess those freaking doctors were wrong!"

Johanna ran her hand down her face. She felt hot and cold all at once.

"Perhaps they weren't, darling," Annie suggested. She tended to call everyone that when talking about sensitive things or when people were upset. She knew she did it because of Finnley, but was unable to prevent herself from calling her adult friends that as well. Everyone found it rather endearing. "Maybe you're just late… sometimes that happens."

"I can't- Annie I don't want a baby."

"Why?"

Johanna scowled at the personal question. Annie didn't tend to ask those things. And besides, it wasn't her business anyway. "Excuse me?"

"Just tell me why. It'll help you if you say it."

"I'm scared," Johanna admitted. "No one would want me for a mother. I've killed people. I've seen things no one should ever have to see. And I know I'm not the nicest person. I'd be an awful mother… and I don't want to be responsible for ruining a kid's life when I've already been responsible for too much of that."

"I was scared too. When I found out about Finnley, I cried for days. It is scary. It's never not scary. Even though I don't have to worry about loosing him when he turns twelve."

"I'm not like you. You're a good person."

"You're a good person too. And for what it's worth, I think you would be a wonderful mother."

Johanna sighed loudly. "Would it be terrible of me to get rid of it?" The silent question of if Annie would think of Johanna as a terrible person hung in the air.

"Of course not," Annie assured. "It's your choice. It's always what you want and what will be best for you. But like I said, I hope you will find out for sure and talk about things before deciding anything or worrying too much."

"Yeah… I should…" Johanna trailed off, resting her head in her hand and surveying the living room she was sitting in. She should. But even the thoughts of doing those things scared her. Perhaps she wasn't as strong as she thought she was.

"I really hate to go, Johanna, but it's time for me to go get Finnley from school. But please, please call me if you need to talk about this. Any time."

"I will," Johanna promised. "Thank you."

"Of course. I'll talk to you soon."

"Bye Annie,"

"Goodbye,"

Johanna hung up the phone and put her head on her knees and sighed. She felt a bit better, but she still didn't trust herself to stand. Sure, it was possible that she wasn't pregnant. In fact, it was more likely that she wasn't. But she couldn't shake the thought of a baby from her head. The hand that wasn't holding the phone brushed lightly over her abdomen.

"No," she mumbled to herself, sitting back up. No, absolutely not. She wasn't going to have a baby. She couldn't. She really couldn't. She shook her head and dialed the only other phone number she knew by heart.

Annie was sweet and kind and gentle, but Johanna didn't want that right now.

The phone rang three times before it was answered. "Hey Johanna,"

"Hi Katniss."

"Why are you calling?"

A small smile crept onto Johanna's face. Katniss was to the point. Always. The smile slipped off her face as she remembered why she was calling. She looked back to the floor. "I need to talk to you."

"About what?"

"I think I'm pregnant."

"What?"

The voice she heard was not Katniss'. She looked up to the front door, where Gale stood in the doorway, staring at her wide-eyed. She had been so absorbed in her thoughts hadn't heard him open the door. She was unable to breathe again.

"Johanna? Johanna! Did I hear you right? Jo? What happened? Are yo-"

Katniss' voice was cut off when Johanna hung up the phone. The phone fell to the floor.

Neither Gale or Johanna said a word for a very long time.

* * *

 ** _;)_**


	16. Chapter 16

As a young boy, he had always wanted kids. He loved kids. And he had 3 younger siblings he helped to raise, so he had plenty of experience. Plus his parents were so happy together. He had wanted that.

As he grew older, the wish for a family came and went. When his father died, he had told himself he would never, ever leave anyone in the position he and his mother and siblings had been left in, that he would just never get married. After a few years, after realizing he could take care of a family even if it meant breaking the law, he had decided maybe having kids wasn't so bad of a prospect after all. When Primrose was Reaped and Katniss volunteered in her place, he decided once more that he was never having children. Carrying a hysterical Prim away from her sister hurt him too much. No, he wouldn't allow more of his loved ones to get ripped apart for some horrible entertainment and he would prevent that by not having children. Through the rebellion, through the war, he kept up that thought. That was no way to live. After Prim was gone, he simply couldn't bear the thought of a child after feeling responsible for the death of many, and one in particular he loved as his own family.

But after many years, after he reconnected with Johanna, the thought came back. It was never a long lasting thought, but it came and went as short-lived as a summer breeze. When he saw how much Finnley adored her, when he saw how comfortable she was in District 12, when she fit right in with his siblings, when his mother had taken to her so quickly.

When he'd started to wake up to Johanna pressed against his side, when she'd yank his hair and tease him playfully, when she started more freely accepting his feelings towards her, he had started to imagine a forever with her. He wasn't sure at first if it was the teenaged feelings and hormones that he never really got to act on or if was something real, but he was certain now that it was real. This was not some grade school crush or infatuation, he was sure he loved Johanna and she made it clear that she felt the same, even though their display of it were nothing if not unconventional.

He had never brought it up to her, any of his thoughts about a family or a forever, and frankly he had been okay with that. He was happy with their situation and he had been for the entirety of their relationship. He was comfortable with where they were- no labels, no conversations about anything permanent. They lived in the present and thought of the past. They always had.

But now they had to stare future in the face.

He had never been more terrified and excited in his entire life.

They had absolutely never discussed children as even being a possibility, and now that it was more than that, they weren't quite sure what to do and what to make of it all.

They had found out for sure that Johanna was in fact pregnant, and after they had, she had shut him off. She had grown quiet and her temper was more easily set off than usual. She was terrified. Between discussing the suspicion and the finding out for sure, she had been okay for the most part, even able to communicate her worries to him, admitting she was terrified. She had broken down into tears when the results were positive and hadn't been the same since.

He was scared too. He had always imagined marrying someone first, then having kids- the picture perfect way families were supposed to happen. This was unexpected and it threw him for a loop. He was calculated, analytical… he planned things. He had never planned on this.

His upbringing surely didn't help. District 12 was traditional in its ideals when he was growing up and he felt guilty about the whole situation, like he was going to get an earful from his mother if they told her.

The idea of a baby was exciting to him, nonetheless. Somewhere under the fear and the guilt and the worry, he was excited at the prospect of being a father. But he was also prepared that it was possible that may not happen. He had decided to leave decisions on the matter entirely to Johanna.

It was a brisk March evening when he found her sitting on the roof, hugging her knees. She got out there by climbing out the windowed the empty second floor bedroom. She had always gone out there to think. She wasn't wearing a jacket.

He grabbed a spare blanket and climbed out the window to join her.

"You're gonna freeze out here," he said quietly, draping the blanket over her before sitting beside her. She didn't move, just continued looking at the lights in the distance.

The part of the roof they sat on was relatively flat, but they were still high enough that they could see the bustling "downtown" area of the district. While Johanna had her eyes directed towards the city, he looked towards the stars. His father had taught him constellations when he was a child, some were from different ancient cultures he didn't ever hear about in school. He had learned the stories that went along with them too, from his dad. His favorite had always been Canis Major- The Big Dog, and his father's favorite had been Orion- The Hunter. Johanna had taken to the story of Andromeda. He wondered for a moment if their kid would like the stars.

"I'm not mad at you," Johanna said after a while.

"I know," he replied simply. She was scared and worried about a lot of things. She was upset, but she wasn't mad at him. He knew that.

'Sorry I've been acting like an ass. It's just… a lot."

"You don't have to apologize. I understand." He was much more patient than he had been when he was younger. It helped that he loved her so much.

"Fuck, Gale. Why do you put up with me?" She asked, looking over to him. "I've done nothing but inconvenience you since I've been here."

"You are _not_ an inconvenience, Jo."

"Liar," her voice sounded thick, like tears were caught there. She looked away from him, back to the city.

"I don't 'put up with you', I love you."

She shook her head. "I… I know… sometimes it's still hard to believe. Because… what did I do to deserve this?" She gestured broadly, to him, to the house, everything. "I've never been happy… why do I deserve it now?"

He didn't respond. He had nothing to say. But he was also certain she wasn't really asking him.

"I'm not a good person. I don't deserve this."

"You are a good person," he said finally.

She chuckled darkly. "Yeah, okay."

"It's true,"

She ignored him. "It's some kind of sick fucking joke, isn't it? I killed kids and the universe decides to give me one."

"You didn't really have a choice."

"Sure I did. And I chose to murder people."

"You would've been killed if you hadn't."

"Maybe it would've been better that way," she mumbled, grabbing at the blanket around her shoulders and tugging it around her.

"Well, the world I know is the one where Johanna Mason is alive and she plays with Finnley and teases my brothers and lets my sister ramble to her and loves her friends. It's also the one where she makes me laugh and calls me out on my bullshit. And I think it's a pretty damn good place to be."

She tore her eyes away from the city again to look at him. Her eyes were shining with unshed tears. "Damn it, Gale. It sucks sometimes that I like you so much."

All he did in response was pull her close to him. She didn't object.

"Do you think we can do this?" She asked quietly after a few minutes.

"Do what?" He questioned. He had been distracted by her tucked into his side, warm and soft.

"Have a kid? Be responsible for someone's life?"

"I think we can give it our best shot," he murmured into her hair. "I'm willing to if you are. Whatever you want to do though, I'll be behind you. No matter what."

She reached for his free hand and pulled it to her stomach.

"When have I ever backed down from a challenge?" She asked, a small smirk on her face.

His heart skipped a beat in surprise.


	17. Chapter 17

She still couldn't believe it. Even though she had decided she was doing this, that they were going through with the whole "parents" thing, she still couldn't believe it. But it was real. It was decided.

Eventually, she had finally answered one of Katniss' many repeated calls and explained things. Katniss was shocked and had about a million questions. Peeta on the other hand, had been shocked silent for a bit. Eventually, he had congratulated her, though he did sound confused and the worry in his voice was obvious.

Effie had shrieked in joy so loud that Johanna was certain she could have heard it in District 2 even if they hadn't been on the phone. Haymitch had chuckled and muttered something about her being too passionate for her own good and wished the two of them luck because their kid was bound to 'be as stubborn and a mule and have a wicked temper', which Gale had laughed at. Haymitch wasn't wrong, they were probably in for it. After all, their kid would be part Johanna Mason and part Gale Hawthorne… in other words, they were probably going to have a tiny hellion running around and wreaking pure havoc.

The last phone call they had to make was the one Gale seemed to be dreading the most- the call to his mother. He had been putting it off for days.

Johanna met him at the door one afternoon when he came home from work. She held the phone out to him. "It's time,"

He sighed, but he smiled a bit and took the phone from her. "Damn, I was hoping you'd just get sick of waiting on me and call her yourself."

"Fat chance, she's not my mother." Johanna crossed her arms over her chest. She had taken to Hazelle very quickly. She was a hardworking, no-nonsense kind of woman, but she was very devoted to her kids and loved them to the moon and back. Hazelle had gotten on very well with her too, she had even hugged Johanna goodbye and they had only known each other a week. Even so, Johanna didn't feel like she should be the one to call her and tell her she was going to be a grandmother.

"She's going to loose her mind, Jo. She started bugging me for grandkids when I was 16."

"16?"

"I wish I was kidding… although then it was mostly her saying how much she missed having babies around and she couldn't wait until me and my brothers were old enough to have kids. Even though Posy was a toddler then."

"Then why have you been acting like she's going to scold you? You aren't a teenager who had a one night stand and got the girl pregnant you know."

"I know… it's just… the world we- I grew up in… in 12… they held onto traditional values like you wouldn't believe… probably because it was the only thing we had, but…"

Johanna realized it then. "You think she's gonna be mad."

"I really, really don't think she will be- I'm 27, like what could she possibly do to me, you know?" He shrugged.

"Guess you'll have to call and find out." Johanna said, pointing to the phone.

"Guess so," he replied. He typed in his mother's phone number and hit the call button, still dreading a little what on earth his mother was going to have to say about this.

"Ooh, put it on speaker." Johanna encouraged, leaning against the door frame that lead into the kitchen. The only symptom she had been experiencing at all was fatigue. She tired quickly, and it drove her crazy. Anything more demanding than walking a few feet made her feel like she had to sit down.

Gale sighed, but he did put the phone on speaker.

The phone rang exactly two and a half times before Hazelle answered the phone.

"Hello, dear! I wasn't expecting a call from you. What a nice surprise."

"Hi Mom, how's everything?"

"Everything's going well. The weather is finally starting to warm up again, thankfully. I've been able to get outside."

"That's good… how are the kids?"

Johanna rolled her eyes and mouthed "You're stalling, you chicken," at him.

"I'm not a chicken," he mouthed back.

She stifled a laugh into her hand.

"Well, Posy's finishing up her last year in the lower school… can you believe it? She's starting high school come September! My baby, so big! And Vick's decided he's going to be a teacher, so he'll be back and forth between here and 6 for a while."

District 12 still didn't have many opportunities for higher education other than apprenticeships, and District 6's university had built quite the reputation for their Teacher Education program in recent years.

"That's good," Vick was the most indecisive of all four Hawthorne kids, always had been. But he was patient as anything and great at explaining. "He'll be a good teacher."

"That's what I said too."

"How's Rory?" Gale questioned. He wasn't sure if their mother knew what Rory was up to romantically, and he certainly didn't want to say anything about it.

"He's planning to move out soon,"

"Move out? By himself?"

"Um, no actually. Do you remember Isiah Fernwyn?"

"Yeah, I do." Gale glanced to Johanna, who frowned a bit. Hazelle knew. He wondered where this was going.

"They've been… well they've been seeing each other. And they're rather serious."

"Wait, wait… Rory wants to move in with Isiah?" Gale asked, making sure he heard his mother correctly.

"Oh, he's well past wanting to, dear. They have plans, the two of them. I've never seen your brother so… smitten. They're absolutely precious together. I know you didn't care much for Isiah when you lot were younger, but you'd hardly recognize him now. He's funneled his… his energy and charm to politics. He's doing wonders here in 12, you wouldn't believe everything he's doing."

Johanna visibly relaxed. She had been tense with worry over how Hazelle felt about Rory having a boyfriend. Gale was relieved too.

"So, enough about us, you obviously called for a reason. What do you have to say?"

Gale looked a bit uneasy, but Johanna smiled a bit and stepped beside Gale, who wrapped an arm around her without even thinking about it.

"Well, uh, Mom… you don't have to drop hints about grandchildren anymore."

"…Gale, I-I'm a little confused."

"Johanna's pregnant, Mom."

"Oh my," Hazelle said, sounding jovial. "Oh my goodness, that's wonderful, dear! That… that is wonderful, isn't it?"

Gale grinned a bit. "Yeah, yeah it is. Don't worry, we worked out all that before we called."

Johanna chuckled. They sure had. For the most part.

"How exciting! A baby! I'm so happy for you both. What a lovely reason to get a phone call. Goodness darling, to be honest I wasn't sure I'd ever see the day."

Johanna couldn't help herself, she let out a laugh at that.

"She can hear me, can't she?" Hazelle questioned her son, sounding timid.

"She sure can,"

"And you've let me go on like a fool? Gale Hawthorne, I can't believe you! I've embarrassed myself in front of her. I'm so sorry, Johanna."

"It's okay," Johanna assured Hazelle with a smile. "Really,"

"Congratulations, sweetheart." Hazelle told Johanna.

"Thanks,"

"Oh, your brothers and sister are going to be absolutely thrilled, Gale. Posy especially. Would you two like to tell them? I must admit, I'm not sure when Posy and Vick will be back and if I'll see Rory at all tonight, so I couldn't give you a time to call back. I suppose I could call you, but I know the time is different where you are and I'd hate to wake you."

Johanna looked up to Gale, who shrugged. She told Hazelle she could tell them and they could call back at some point to talk about it more if they wanted. Gale agreed with that.

"Alright, I'll tell them then. Oh, I truly cannot believe it. I wish I could hug you both right now. I suppose I'll just have to wait though. Can I ask something?"

"Of course," Gale replied.

"You both have every right to say no, of course, but I would love to come visit you when the baby is born, if that's alright."

"Of course that's okay," Johanna said before Gale could say anything. Hazelle would be the kid's only grandparent, it was only fair that she would be allowed to come meet it. And the woman had 4 kids, she knew a lot more about raising kids than Johanna did. She'd probably be a huge help.

"Oh sweetheart, you didn't have to answer so fast! I don't want to intrude."

"Don't be ridiculous," Johanna replied. She closed her eyes. Maybe that wasn't the best way to put it.

Thankfully, Hazelle only laughed. "Well, if you're so sure..."

"Yeah, we'd love to have you visit, Mom." Gale finally managed to say.

"Alright then, it's settled." Hazelle announced. "Please keep me updated. And feel free to call me any time."

"Will do," Gale responded.

"Well, I'm going to let you go now. I'm sure you have much more exciting things to do than talk to me. And I've been invited to join Effie, Haymitch, Katniss, and Peeta for dinner tonight."

"Okay, we'll talk to you later, Mom. Have fun."

"I love you," Hazelle said. After a beat of silence, she added, "All three of you."

For some reason, that made Johanna feel like she was going to cry.

Gale hung up the phone and glanced at her. His face softened. "What's wrong, Jo?"

Her kid was going to have a family. She had a family, she wasn't alone any more. People loved her, people were going to love her kid. She wasn't sure how to relay all the emotions she was feeling at that moment. She settle on: "I'm just… happy."

He smiled, put the phone down and hugged her, which she returned. They held each other for a long time.

"Hey Jo?" Gale murmured.

"Yeah?"

"How would you feel about moving to 12?"


	18. Chapter 18

There were a few positions opening in some districts. They were newly made positions, but they would all be promotions from what he was doing currently. They needed people in the Capitol and every district. His boss had approached him with the news before it had gone out to everyone because Gale had strong ties to District 12. He'd have to apply for it, but it was heavily implied that if he did apply, he'd get the job.

If he got the job, he'd have to move to District 12, but a for a few weeks of the year, he'd be expected to come back to 2 for meetings and other official stuff. It sounded like a damn good deal to him. And honestly, it couldn't have come at a better time. Even though no one he worked with had any idea Johanna was pregnant, it just seemed to make sense to take the job as moving to 12 would put them closer to their loved ones when the baby came.

Of course, if Johanna wanted to stay right where they were, they would stay put. He wouldn't even think twice about it. So he decided to talk to her about it before doing anything.

He explained the job opening in 12, and how it was pretty obvious he'd get it if he wanted it, along with other details.

"Are you serious?"

"I am."

"Why the fuck did you even ask me first? This is huge for you!" Johanna exclaimed, swatting at his arm. Her excitement was obvious.

"Well, I wanted to see what you thought and-"

"This has nothing to do with me!" She protested, voice still elevated.

"Of course it does. If you want to stay here, we'll stay here."

Johanna rolled her eyes. "You really haven't figured it out, have you?"

"Figured what out?"

"The only reason I stayed in this boring-ass fancy fucking place for as long as I have was because of you."

"Me?" He asked.

"Sometimes you're really fucking dense, Gale." Johanna continued, moving to sit on the armrest of the couch. "I don't care about this place. I have no attachment to it whatsoever. I don't get attached to places. I never stayed in one place very long. Hell, I never even went back home. Not to sound sappy, but I'm here because of you. You want this job. You want to move. I know you do. Take it. I'll come with you."

"You sure you're okay with that?" He asked, to clarify. This was a big decision. They absolutely needed to be on the same page.

She nodded and smirked. "You're stuck with me."

"Damn it," he teased her, leaning over to kiss her head. "Good thing I like you."

"I'd hope so. You did get me pregnant after all."

"Oh _please_ , you make it sound like it was just my doing. We both know that's a lie."

"You got me," she replied, smiling. She put her hands in the air, faking defense. "Not my fault you-"

He flushed red. "For the sake of our kid, I'm begging you not to finish that sentence."

"Oh, it can't hear us yet." Johanna replied smugly, before grabbing at the front of his shirt.


	19. Chapter 19

Gale had got the job.

Johanna wasn't sure if she had ever been so excited for another person in her whole life, but she was beyond thrilled for him.

Within 2 weeks, the house that was far too big and empty for just the two of them was up for sale and they had living arrangements settled in District 12.

Victor's Village had stood empty sans two houses for years and when Katniss had received the news that they were moving to 12, she had suggested they take one of the empty houses. Gale had not liked the idea at first and quite frankly neither had Johanna, but it did make sense. The house was fully furnished, so they wouldn't have to drag anything huge from one side of Panem to the other and they would be close to everyone. Eventually they had agreed it was the best decision for them. At least, for now.

They were assured it would take minimal preparation to move into, as Effie was determined to make the place clean and bright and it was already an unspoken rule that everyone was going to prevent Johanna from doing much of anything when she finally got there, no matter how much of a fight she would put up.

It wasn't hard to pack up the house in 2. It was rather plain with very little personal touches besides a picture of Gale's siblings and mother and a full "family" picture from Peeta and Katniss' wedding on the mantle, a few drawings from Finnley, and clothes and other such things. It took the couple exactly 4 suitcases and a medium sized box to pack up their lives.

An offer was made on the house, a decent offer by a wealthy ex-Capitol woman and her 3 adopted children, and the sale had been closed. The amount of money that big bland house was apparently worth would have given 16 year old Gale Hawthorne heart palpitations. Even at 27, the sheer amount of money baffled him. He made enough from his job to comfortably support an upper-middle class family of about 6 and that didn't even include what Johanna got in a Victor's Stipend or what he got occasionally from the government for being a rebel soldier. Unsure of what to do, Gale and Johanna had simply stuck the money in the bank and called it a day.

Their last night as full-time residents of District 2, Gale and Johanna found themselves sitting on the roof.

"You can see more of the stars in 12," Gale thought aloud, looking up at the sky. "Especially in the woods."

"You're gonna take it into the woods, aren't you?" Johanna asked. "The baby I mean."

"Of course I am." He replied, glancing at her. "Even though we don't need the forest like we used to anymore, it would be kind of sad if the tradition stopped with me, in my opinion."

Johanna smiled. Even if she didn't quite get it, she knew the woods in 12 meant a lot to him. She could almost see a small, grey-eyed child tagging along with Gale and Katniss into the woods and coming back grubby and giddy from exploring. The thought made her feel warm. But it didn't last forever.

"What do you think… how will we explain… the Games, the War… everything? Do you think this kid will think any less of us once they learn about it all?" Unspoken question hung in the air: Will is be scared of me? Will it hate me? She had killed people, she was a murderer. And, Johanna supposed, so was Gale. Intentionally or not, they both had blood on their hands, blood that left a stain that would never leave.

Gale looked away from her. He hadn't really thought that far ahead. He didn't know. "I don't think I can answer that. I don't think we'll know until it happens."

"It's all so much more… fresh in 12. More alive and vivid." Johanna continued. She was right. Each district had a memorial for their fallen tributes. The Capitol had a massive fountain that turned into a small fountain in remembrance of the Rebellion because of an old song about having peace like a river. But 12 had extra things. Mockingjays, though tasteful, were in the monument to the District 12 bombing, the Games, the Rebellion, everything. District 12 was still the home of the Girl on Fire and they were very proud of her. But it kept things a little more present than was always welcomed by the survivors.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there." Gale suggested finally.

Johanna nodded, then after a pause she asked: "Are you going to miss this place?"

"To be honest? Absolutely not."

"Not even a little?"

"I thought I would, but I think I've missed 12 so much all these years that this place doesn't even really matter to me. This isn't my home. It never has been. I was just… here."

"Your home is District 12." Johanna said in understanding.

"Yeah."

"I'm glad you get to go back."

"Me too."

The next morning, they loaded themselves and their lives onto the early morning train to District 12. Johanna curled up next to him and eventually, they started chatting to a few friendly people that had joined their car. It was easier to socialize with others when they were all on a long-haul journey across the country.

The people were kind, and if they knew who was sitting across from them, they hid it very well. The topic of why everyone was traveling came up, and when Gale said he had taken a new position that required them to move to 12, but that it came at a good time considering their loved ones were in 12 and it would be nice to raise a kid around family, one woman's eyes immediately darted to Johanna's hands which were folded on her lap, and the woman looked a bit displeased when she noticed there was nothing there. As if that was any of her business.

Johanna shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She had noticed the woman looking too. Gale reached over and took Johanna's hand. She smiled at him. No, they weren't engaged or married or whatever that woman thought they should be, but he still loved Johanna. And she loved him too.

That night, when everyone had moved into their sleeping cars, Johanna fell asleep curled up on her side with the blanket up to her chin.

Gale slipped into the bed beside her, careful not to disturb her. He leaned over and kissed her hair softly, and he could've sworn she smiled in her sleep. And he was happy.

It was then he realized that his real home was wherever Johanna was.

* * *

 ** _A/N: I'm sorry to say that unfortunately, this happiness is not permanent. There will be some sadness and angst. There will probably be a happy ending though! i hope you stick around to see how it all plays out!_**


	20. Chapter 20

**_Sorry for the delay! Please enjoy!_**

* * *

District 12 was a lot quieter than District 2 was.

Johanna had known that for a while, but knowing it was her home now made it a little different.

She quite enjoyed it actually. District 2, especially where Gale had lived, was busy and near the city center. There were cars and aircraft noises at all hours of the day and night, which while she had gotten used to it, she found she preferred the cricket and bird noises District 12 was full of. Perhaps it was because it reminded her of her childhood home.

Victor's Village was a decent distance away from the town square and from the medication manufacturing plant. It was a particularly sleepy part of the already sleepy District. No wonder Katniss and Peeta still felt comfortable living there. They were hardly disturbed, but they were still close enough to walk to anything they may have needed.

The other good thing about living in District 12 was that Gale was around much more often. He still had to go to work, but he had a shorter day. Plus, he worked out of City Hall like Rory, and though they were in different departments, it was obvious that practically working with his brother made Gale's days a little more enjoyable.

And even when Gale was at work, Johanna no longer had to be bored by herself because she didn't know any of Gale's stuffy neighbors. Now she could just go next door and bother Katniss. Or if she was feeling like it, she could even go see Haymitch and Effie.

They had settled in over the last few weeks and Johanna had grown accustomed to unannounced, but pleasant visits from Hazelle, the sounds of Haymitch's geese, lots of baked goods from Peeta, and the general companionship she felt in the District.

Gale had convinced her into the woods once thus far. She had made it about halfway to where they were going before she broke down into tears. She had not been into thick woods she felt comfortable in since she was a child in District 7. The joy of it, the memories both good and bad attached to her home, and crippling anxiety had hit her hard. It probably didn't help that her emotions had been a bit all over the place the last few weeks thanks to hormones and things. She had sat on a log until she calmed down enough to leave and they went right back the way the came. She had apologized on the way out, but Gale had simply shaken his head and suggested that they try again some other time, to which she agreed.

Johanna had started walking up to the school some days to greet Posy after her school. She had decided to do that as Hazelle had mentioned one day that Posy had always wanted a sister, and that the teenager simply adored Johanna. It occurred to Johanna that Posy had barely known Johanna as anything but a friend to Katniss and Peeta. The girl, though she now knew the history behind the things that happened in her early years, still only associated Johanna with being a friend and her beloved older brother's significant other, and treated her as such. It was an honor which Johanna wasn't entirely sure she deserved to be given, but she appreciated it none the less.

Johanna had arrived to the lower school five minutes before the bell would ring and she leaned against a tree near to the doors to await Posy's exit. It was a nice, warm Friday and Johanna had decided to take the enthusiastic young lady to get ice cream, which Johanna had learned was one of Posy's favorite things in the entire world.

Not many people waited outside the intermediate doors as most of the kids simply made their way home on their own, but there was a crowd of people on the other side of the yard outside the primary doors waiting for the little ones' school day to end. The thought that in a few years she would be standing over by the other doors to gather her own child after school made her smile to herself.

The bell rang for the school day to end and the little children started out of the doors immediately into the arms of their parents, down one of the paths that lead towards their home, or over to the high school doors to await their older siblings who had to stop at their lockers before exiting. The happy chatter filled the air and soon, the older students made their way out of the building.

Posy walked out of the doors with another, shorter girl and a boy, chatting happily, but she still caught sight of Johanna and broke into a wide smile. She bid her friends goodbye and bounded over to Johanna and hugged her.

"Hey kid, I figured we'd go get some ice cream. If that's okay with you." Johanna didn't tend to ask Posy about school, that was her mother's job. If she was going to assume the role of big sister, she wanted to do it right.

Posy replied with a smile and together, they headed off towards the ice cream parlor in town. Posy chatted a bit about her friends and complained a little about algebra on the way there, and Johanna was fully paying attention responded appropriately, but she couldn't help but notice the looks she got from some of the people of the District. District 12 accepting a fourth former victor, one that wasn't even theirs, was proving to be a little more difficult than expected. Perhaps it was the circumstances in which she had moved there or perhaps it was simply just the shock of it all. Word traveled fast in 12. Johanna had gotten used to the looks over the years and it no longer bothered her, but the idea that people's opinions would follow her child bothered her slightly.

Eventually, Johanna and Posy arrived at the ice cream store, got their ice cream, and sat at a table outside, across from each other. The little shop was rather busy.

Posy looked a lot like the rest of her family- on the taller side, dark hair, gray eyes, olive skin. Her hair was naturally curly, and she wore it in two low pigtails that reached her shoulder blades. Her salmon colored hoodie was unzipped, revealing a teal shirt printed with a heart made out of various scientific tools. Posy loved science more than anything, and she had an incredible knack for it. She was bubbly and enthusiastic and outgoing, very friendly and very studious. Almost the exact opposite of her eldest brother.

"Are you excited to get out of middle school?" Johanna asked Posy, who was methodically mixing her sprinkles around in her chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.

Posy nodded. "I got recommended for Honors Biology and they have a chemistry club and stuff at the high school."

"Sounds about right up your ally."

"Yup! I can't wait. There's also a scientific decathlon team and we would compete against 11 and 8's teams, and then move on from there until there's only two teams left in the country and then we'd compete in the Capitol."

"Oh, interesting. You gonna join that?"

"I'm going to try out for sure. I'd like to be on the team."

"Well, I think you'd be a shoe-in."

Posy smiled. "Thanks,"

The fact that the only competition Posy was thinking about was an elective science one meant more to Johanna than Posy would probably ever understand.

Everything she had been through had meant something. Posy did not have to worry about starving any more or getting chosen to fight to the death. All of Posy's worries were those a typical teenaged girl should have. And yet, Posy still remembered a time when she was hungry, when there was the threat of loosing one of her brothers to the Games.

After the ice cream, Johanna and Posy had gone their separate ways to their houses. Johanna walked past a little kid riding a bicycle with training wheels on the sidewalk. The child's mother was following after him, just behind him, watching him. The child was beaming. That child would never live with the fear of death looming over him.

Her life, her struggles, her pain, everything she and her friends had faced, had lead to a generation of children who would never have to go through it themselves. In that moment, it was all worth it.

She entered the house she now called her home, the home that would be full of childish laughs and toys before she knew it. It was worth it. Everything was worth it.

She could do this whole parent thing. After all, she had helped fight for the ability to be one.


	21. Chapter 21

The alarm beeped and Gale turned it off immediately. He hadn't slept much. He hated waking up at four thirty in the morning, especially when there was the risk of waking up Johanna, who hadn't been sleeping very well as of late.

It seemed that pregnancy had caught up to her. On top of getting tired easily, she had started to feel sick often with headaches and other various minor ailments that kept her up. Gale had made it his personal mission to let her sleep as long as possible when she was able to sleep. He hoped he got to the alarm before it woke her.

Considering a hand grabbed his arm, he had not gotten so lucky.

Gale chuckled. "I gotta go,"

Johanna groaned into her pillow. "It's so early,"

"I know." Gale replied, rolling over to face her.

Johanna turned her head to look at him. "Why can't you just stay here?"

"Come on, Jo. You know I can't."

Johanna groaned again.

Gale had to go to District 3 for mandatory crisis training, which he would've had to do regardless of moving to District 12. There was a hovercraft coming to get him at five twenty-six on the dot and he would be gone, with no contact allowed, for two weeks, and he had to be there 20 minutes early. Only blood relations and spouses were allowed contact in the case of an emergency, and Johanna was not any of those things to him. He felt alright leaving at least. Not that he worried much about Johanna, as he knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself, but he felt more comfortable leaving her around people she knew than he would've if they would've stayed in 2 where she knew no one.

He kissed her forehead. "I really have to get going, Jo."

Reluctantly, she let go of his hand.

He smiled and got out of bed. He had a feeling she wasn't going to back to sleep at least until he was gone. They had not gone more than a day at a time without being able to contact each other. That was going to be the hardest part, he knew it. And she had admitted it a few days prior also. He was really good at talking her out of panicking and out of nightmares. She was very good at snapping him out of his occasional moods of self-loathing. Two weeks without that was going to be hard. He tried to keep the mood light, though, as he got ready.

"I'm sure you and Katniss are going to get into heaps of trouble the next few days." Gale said as he dug through his bag, double-checking he had everything he needed. Peeta had two wedding cakes to work on, which meant he was going to be very busy for the next little while and it was no secret Katniss enjoyed having her friend around.

Johanna chuckled softly.

He left his bag on the floor and went off to do the other things he needed to do in the house before he left. By the time he was finished, he had just enough time to say goodbye to Johanna and gather his things before it was time for him to leave.

Unsurprisingly, Johanna was still awake when he returned to the room, the blanket pulled up to her chin. He leaned over.

"I'll be back in two weeks,"

She nodded.

"Don't celebrate me being away too much while I'm gone."

She smiled at that and he kissed her.

"I love you,"

"I love you too," she responded.

"Try to get some more sleep?"

"I'll try," she replied with a small smile. She grabbed his hand and placed it on her abdomen. "We'll miss you,"

"I'll miss you too," He kissed Johanna again. "See you soon, okay?"

She hummed in response and he smiled a bit and headed out of the room.

He walked past the closed door of the room they had decided would be the baby's. It was a work in progress, but it was slowly but surely turning into a livable space. It was cleaned top to bottom and Peeta was going to be painting it, and he was simply thrilled with the responsibility. He was going to paint the room white first, and then he'd do more once there was some sort of decision on theme or color.

Gale hoped he wouldn't miss too much in the two weeks he was away. A lot could happen pregnancy wise in that time span. At least he knew there'd be plenty of people willing to fill him in on all the things Johanna would probably not mention when he returned.

He walked out of the front door into the dim, early morning light, and locked the door behind him. He slid his bag over his shoulder and headed down the sidewalk out of Victor's Village and towards the side of town where hovercrafts took off and landed, near the law enforcement building that was being built- where his job would move to once the building was completed.

There were two other people waiting for the hovercraft when he got there, and one more came shortly after. Soon, the aircraft landed and they boarded it, and before Gale knew it, they were in the sky, already headed out of 12.

"Do you like it in 12, Gale?" Asked one of the other people on the aircraft, a smiley 23 year old District 8 transplant named Eisley asked him over the low rumble of the hovercraft. She had thick, curly hair that was pulled back from her friendly face into a ponytail. She was a pleasant person who was a friend of Rory's. She was a data analyst, and a pretty darn good one at that, as she was going to the crisis simulation. She was excellent with numbers.

"Yes, it's nice to be back." He responded, to which Eisley nodded.

It really was. And now that he was back, two weeks was far too long to spend away from it without Johanna.


	22. Chapter 22

Katniss was headed back home after a morning in the woods looking for plants and herbs to top off her supply. The sun was all the way up in the sky and it was much too hot to be in the woods in pants and boots and a long sleeved shirt and she needed a shower.

"Hello, dear!" Effie called to Katniss cheerfully as she hung up a sheet on the clothing line behind her and Haymitch's house. They had a dryer, but on nice days they liked to dry the laundry outside.

Katniss smiled at the woman and waved a hand in a friendly greeting before making her way to the back door of her own house. As she untied her boots, she glanced at the newly inhabited neighboring house. The curtains were still closed in the window Katniss knew to be the bedroom and the kitchen, which was unusual. Johanna should've been up by now and artificial lighting gave her headaches sometimes so the curtains and blinds were usually wide open in all rooms.

Kicking off her boots, Katniss turned to yell to Effie. "Have you seen Johanna today?"

"No," Effie replied, pinning a dress to her clothesline. "I'd imagine she's probably still sleeping though. Gale left early and I doubt she got much sleep."

Katniss hummed in agreement. That made sense. She was still going to go over and bother her after her shower because there was no way Katniss was about to let her friend mope over Gale leaving, because that sounded pathetic, pregnancy hormones and all.

"If you're hungry, we have some pasta left over." Effie added as Katniss opened the door.

"Thanks. Maybe I'll come get some after I take a shower."

Effie replied with a smile and Katniss entered the house. She left her bag with the gathered plants on the kitchen counter, grabbed a fresh set of clothes, and started the shower.

A little while later, clean and dressed in a tan short sleeved shirt and cuffed jeans, Katniss tied off her braid, tugged on a pair of shoes, and headed next door to bother Johanna.

She knocked three times on the door. No answer.

She knocked again and shouted "Open the door, Jo."

Nothing.

A sense of unease settled in Katniss' stomach. Johanna usually responded at the very least with a disgruntled shout to hold her horses.

Katniss returned to her house and grabbed the spare key for Gale and Johanna's out of the bowl Peeta had placed on the table in the entryway for keys and then returned to Johanna's door. She knocked again.

"I'm giving you ten seconds before I come in." Katniss announced. She waited eight seconds before she unlocked the door and entered the house.

It was quiet and dark in the house. Johanna hated it being quiet when she was awake and alone and the television was usually on for background noise. A shiver ran down Katniss' spine. Something was wrong.

"Johanna?" Katniss called, slowly heading towards the staircase.

She heard a noise and stopped dead in her tracks. "Jo?"

"-m up here," came a weak sounding voice from upstairs.

Katniss ran up the stairs, heart racing. She was afraid of what she was going to see, but that wasn't going to prevent her from checking on Johanna. Surely no one had broken in- the door had been locked, and everything looked to be in fine order downstairs. Effie or Haymitch would have heard glass breaking if someone had come in a window. Right?

Right?

The bedroom door was open and unoccupied.

The bathroom door was cracked open and Katniss' stomach flipped as she pushed open the door.

The sight before her made the victor's eyes fill with tears, but she wiped them away and she knelt beside Johanna, who was sitting with her back against the bathtub, and took her hand.

* * *

The nurses had been kind enough to show her to a room where she could make the phone call in peace. Her hands shook as she pulled the crumpled piece of paper out of her pocket and pressed the numbers on the phone she was given to use.

The phone rang once. It was answered by a man with a gruff voice. "State your business."

"I need to speak to Gale Hawthorne."

"He is unable to receive any phone calls."

"I understand, but this is an emergency. Please."

"Are you his sister, mother, child, or spouse?"

"No, but I-"

"You cannot speak to him."

Katniss' face burned red in anger. "Please-"

"No. Good day m'am."

"Wait!" Katniss said. She took a deep breath. "Are you really going to hang up the phone on the Mockingjay?"

That sentence made her cringe, she hated saying that, but if it let her speak to Gale, so be it. This was an emergency and he had to know.

"Katniss Everdeen?" The man on the other end of the line spluttered.

"Katniss Everdeen-Mellark," Katniss corrected, making her voice as firm as she could. "Victor of the 74th Hunger Games, Rebel Soldier, Girl On Fire…" she continued.

"Yes, I understand."

"I need to speak to Gale Hawthorne immediately."

"One moment,"

There was a period of silence and then another man answered the phone to verify her identity. Within a matter of seconds, she heard a tentative hello belonging to her best friend.

"How fast can you get back here?" Katniss asked.

"Considering they let me talk to you, not fast enough. What's wrong?" Gale asked.

Katniss wrapped her free hand around her middle. "Jo, she's, she's in the hospital."

"What?"

Katniss squeezed her eyes shut. "The baby, she… it's gone."

"She was fine this morning, I don't-"

"They, they think it's been a few days… I found her earlier… she lost a lot of blood. I-we thought we were going to loose her too." They still might, but Gale didn't need to hear that right now.

"Is she okay?"

A tear escaped Katniss' eyes at Gale's questioned. He sounded so broken. "Right now, she's stable… she's on something that knocked her out so she wouldn't have a panic attack." Johanna hated hospitals. And a panic attack on top of what she was already going through would just make things worse.

"Have you seen her?"

"No, we can't right now, but we're all here. We're not going to leave her here alone."

Everyone was there, Hazelle and Posy, Haymitch, Effie, Peeta, Rory, and even Isaiah were in the waiting room, in various stages of shock and worry.

"I have to- I'll be there as soon as I can." Gale replied.

"I'm sorry, Gale." Katniss whispered. It was the only thing she could think of saying, even though she knew it meant nothing. "I'll see you soon,"

"Bye," he murmured.

Katniss hung up the phone and let herself cry.

Somewhere in District 3, Gale kicked the wall, swore loudly, and started to cry as well.


	23. Chapter 23

She had awoken in a panic, only to be hushed gently by Hazelle, who calmed her and gently, kindly, carefully told her everything she did not know, everything that had happened when she was asleep.

She cried then, for a long while, before the emotional exhaustion lulled her to sleep once more. When she awoke again, Haymitch was in the chair beside her bed, a book in his hands, a painting and flowers beside him on the little nightstand. Posy and Peeta had been there.

"You about scared us to death there, kid." Haymitch told her, looking away from his book for a brief moment. "Glad you're still with us."

He said nothing more.

Johanna rolled over and held back the tears that were trying to spill over.

She was terrified and she felt sick. She hated hospitals and everything about them. They reminded her too much of… of things she didn't want to relive. She noticed, however, laying on her side, staring at the white walls, that she wasn't anywhere near as panicky as she should be. She scratched at where a plastic tube met the skin of her arm. She was on something for that, she figured, as she followed the tube up to the IV bag with her eyes. She was on something so she wouldn't loose her mind.

There was a plastic bracelet on her wrist with her name and birthdate printed on it. There were three stickers on it. She recognized two. One had a little cartoon of a pill bottle, that sticker meant she was on medication. One had a yellow dot; survivor of trauma. The other, she didn't recognize- the shape of a butterfly in black on a white sticker. She brushed her finger over it, trying to decipher its meaning, but she couldn't figure it out.

Eventually, a nurse came in. She smiled warmly at Johanna, who could only stare back in return. She could not speak.

The nurse looked over the machines, wrote things on her tablet, pressed a button or two, and left the room. As the nurse opened the door to leave, Johanna caught sight of a small sheet of paper with a butterfly taped to the outside of the door.

Haymitch left and was replaced with Effie, who came in with a bag of knitting supplies. She placed a purple and gray knitted blanket over the thin cotton one that Johanna was under and kissed Johanna's forehead, which internally made Johanna cringe, but on the outside, she could not do anything about it. The medication made her incapable of expressing her feelings on the outside.

She felt too broken. She was empty. She was a failure, incapable. Her life was some kind of twisted joke. She hated it. She couldn't do something she was biologically supposed to be able to do.

She wasn't aware of how much time had passed- she had lost all sense of time. The beeping surrounding her made every moment feel identical. She rolled over to face Effie, who was knitting what looked like an orange scarf. She felt more present now, perhaps the nurse had lowered the dose of her medication.

"What does it mean?" Johanna managed to ask. Her voice, unused for a period of time she did not know, was thick and hoarse.

Effie looked up from her handiwork in surprise. She hadn't been expecting Johanna to stay anything. "What does what mean?"

"The butterfly," Johanna replied, holding her wrist out. "It's on this and the door… what does it mean?"

Effie sighed and put her scarf down. "It's a symbol to let the nurses and doctors know that they are working with someone who has experienced pregnancy loss."

The explanation brought a stinging to her eyes and she squeezed them shut. "I hate this. It hurts."

"I know, dear."

"I didn't even want it in the beginning! I- why do I feel like this?" Johanna demanded.

"Because you grew to love it. You grew to love it and the idea of a family and it was taken away from you. You're allowed to be upset."

"Fucking- why me? Nothing I do ever goes the way I want it to! It's- it's not fair!"

"It isn't." Effie agreed, rising from her seat to stand beside Johanna's bed. She took her hand. "It truly isn't, and I know this means very little, but I am truly sorry. From the bottom of my heart. You deserve all the good in the world and it simply isn't fair."

Johanna sniffled.

"It doesn't hurt this much forever."

Johanna met Effie's eyes, who were shining with tears. The older woman seemed to read her thoughts.

"I've lost two of my own. I think about them every day, but it doesn't hurt as bad anymore."

"You- I didn't know…"

"We didn't talk about it… we didn't want to upset anyone." Effie explained. Without her saying a word about it, Johanna knew who was included in Effies 'we'. "It's hard to go through alone. That's why we made sure someone is always here to sit with you."

Johanna squeezed Effie's hand. "You selfless pieces of garbage,"

Effie smiled a bit, but changed the topic. "Annie and Finnley send their love."

Johanna knew at once she wasn't to speak about what Effie had just revealed to her.

"Katniss managed to get through to District 3, but we haven't heard a thing since."

Gale. She hadn't even thought about his reaction. She didn't want to imagine the look on his face when he found out. "When was that?"

"Four days ago."

Four days? Is that how long she had been unresponsive.

"Do you think they'll let him leave?" Johanna asked.

"I think he'll try his hardest to get back to you." Effie said in response. She squeezed Johanna's hand. "Why don't you try to get some more sleep, dear? One of us will be here when you wake up."

Johanna let go of Effie's hand and rolled back over, her back to the light streaming in through the window. She touched the butterfly on her bracelet again.

Johanna Mason. Victor, mentor, torture victim, rebel, and now mother to a baby she would never meet.


	24. Chapter 24

Damn it. Damn it all.

It had been almost four days since Katniss had called him. He was finally back in 12 and he was weaving around people as fast as humanly possible to get to the hospital. People glared at him as he shoved his way past, but he didn't care.

His old boss from 2 had not wanted to allow him to leave the simulation, especially because Gale was reluctant to explain all the details to anyone beyond the fact it was a family emergency. Everyone else had thought the boss had lost his marbles, but his refusal prevented Gale from leaving. After being told one too many times he wasn't going anywhere, Gale shouted that Johanna was in the hospital and there was no guarantee she would make it.

The boss from 2 sneered at Gale then, mumbled something about how it might be a good thing if she finally managed to off herself, which shocked the whole room into silence.

The whole room except for Gale, who called the man a word he probably should not have used in a professional setting and explained that Johanna had just lost a baby, and then, realizing it was the first time he had said that out loud, fell into a numb silence himself as the whole room looked at him. Very few people outside of family knew Johanna was pregnant.

His current boss from 12 stood up from his seat. "Let's go, Hawthorne. You've got somewhere more important to be.

"You-you can't just leave!" Spluttered the man from 2.

He was ignored besides a comment to someone else that he would be dealt with later.

A few hours later placed Gale pushing open the doors to the District 12 hospital. The over-clean smell hit his nose and the fluorescent lights made him squint as soon as he entered the lobby. The emergency room was off to the left. Was she there? No, no not if she had been there for days. He had no idea where she would be.

He caught sight of he could only assume to be the information desk and walked up to it. A young man sat on one side of the desk and a young woman sat several feet away on the other side. She was pointing something out on a map to an older gentleman.

The young man smiled politely at Gale. "Can I help you?"

"Maybe. I-I'm looking for someone."

"A patient or a visitor?"

"Patient. I'd assume she's admitted. I-I don't know… I haven't heard anything since I got a phone call and I…" he stopped talking. Now he was just rambling. He was nervous, he couldn't help it.

"Hm, what's her name?' asked the young man, moving his hands to be ready to type on his computer. He had a name tag on that read 'Westin'. "I can look up what floor she's on and then they can help you more from there."

"Uh, Johanna Mason?"

A flicker of recognition crossed the young man's face as he glanced back to Gale before typing. "Floor 3. The elevators are back that way. Once you get to the third floor, there'll be a desk where some nurses are sitting. They'll be able to give you more information."

Gale nodded. "Thanks,"

Westin nodded in response, the tiniest hint of a sad smile on his face.

The lobby was painted a light blue and it wasn't that big, but walking to the elevators felt like an eternity. He pushed the 3 button and up the elevator went. Sure enough, when the doors opened, the nurses' station was directly ahead. Above the nurses station hung a sign that said "Women's Health".

The floor seemed quiet. No one seemed panicked. He wasn't sure if that made him feel better or worse.

A nurse greeted him kindly and asked him if he was there to see someone.

"Yes. Johanna Mason."

Her face fell slightly, but she nodded. "She's in 216," She pointed to her right. "Go down this hallway, it'll be on the right."

His heart started to race as he made his way down the hallway. She was okay. She was alive! That was good. She had made it. Thankfully. Physically, she was going to be fine, he figured. Emotionally, he wasn't sure what to expect.

But he was going to be there for her no matter what.

216 was written on a little white sign that hung from the ceiling in front of the closed door. He didn't want to knock, in case she was sleeping, but he also felt weird just walking in. He decided to open the door slowly.

A piece of paper with a butterfly on it was taped to the door right above the handle. He glanced up and down the hallway, there was one door a few rooms down on the left that appeared to have the butterfly as well. No others though. He wondered what the significance was as he slowly opened the door.

There were two people on the hospital bed.

Katniss was sitting besides Johanna, they were flipping through Katniss and Peeta's book, which was massive.

Katniss looked up to the door first and looked relieved when she saw Gale. She looked back to Johanna, who ran her finger over something in the book. "Jo? I'm going to head out. Do you want me to leave the book with you?'

Johanna shook her head as she shut the book. "Take it,"

"Okay," Katniss replied, carefully getting up from her spot on the bed and taking the book off of her friend's lap. "I'll see you later."

"Bye," Johanna replied, turning her attention to the window.

Katniss made her way to the door. She stopped in front of Gale. "She's doing… okay." She whispered. "Glad you could come back."

"Me too,"

"Call us if you need anything,"

Gale nodded and Katniss headed down the hallway towards the elevators.

He took a deep breath. "Hey Jo,"

Johanna looked over to him in surprise.

He shut the door behind him and dropped the bag he didn't bother to drop off at home in the corner of the room as he walked towards her.

"You're… here," She said softly, rubbing at her eyes. They looked red and heavy.

"Of course I am," he answered, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Would've been here sooner if I could've. How… are you feeling?"

She shrugged halfheartedly. She hadn't moved from her place on the other side of the bed. She sat with a pillow behind her, her knees pulled to her chest. There were things on the table beside her- flowers, a card, other little tokens from loved ones that said she was in their thoughts, that she was loved.

They sat in silence for a moment.

"I mess everything up," Johanna muttered.

"That's not true."

She shook her head. "It is."

He reached over and took her hand. "I hate it when you talk like that."

She sniffled suddenly and a tear streamed down her cheek. "I'm sorry,"

"What are you sorry for?' Gale asked her incredulously.

"I know how much you wanted this and I-"

Gale pulled her against him. "It's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault."

She only started to cry harder. He held her tighter.

"You have no reason to be sorry," he continued quietly, on the verge of tears. "I'm glad you're alright. That's all I need right now."

"I wish… fuck, I wish this didn't happen." She managed to say.

He could not respond. Instead, he rested his head on hers and held her close.

He had wanted it. He had wanted a kid, to be a dad. He knew Johanna had wanted it to. They were going to figure it out, make it work, be a goddamn happy family and lead a goddamn normal life. But the universe had other plans.

Johanna was still here with him, warm, breathing, alive. He was thankful for that.

She had been through so much. She was clearly devastated about it. Hopefully she would be alright emotionally after a while. He would love her anyway, but he knew she would be upset with herself if she wasn't, and he hated when she was upset with herself. She had been through more in her life than she should've and it wasn't fair that she kept getting dealt shitty hands.

So he cried. He cried for lots of reasons. He cried because Johanna had been through too much, that they would never meet their baby, that she made it and was alive, that they had even had the chance at a kid in the first place.

"Don't leave," Johanna insisted moments later, breaking the suffocating silence and repetitive beeping. She looked up at him. Her eyes were red, her face was flushed and puffy from crying. Her hair was a mess. She looked as torn up as she sounded. And as he felt. He was sure he didn't look much better.

He pressed his forehead to hers. "I'm not going anywhere."


	25. Chapter 25

_**Death, burial, miscarriage tw. Proceed with caution.**_

* * *

It had been a few weeks, but she had decided she was ready. She needed the closure somehow. She was assured that it would make it a little easier if she was able to say goodbye.

There wasn't anything to bury, not in the traditional sense anyway. It had been so sudden and quick and her life was at such a risk that everything had been focused on her that anything there may have been left to bury was gone. She wasn't sure if that made it harder, as she was strangely used to saying goodbye to people she couldn't bury.

She had decided to plant a tree. It had been a tradition in 13 to plant a tree when a loved one passed away. There were two separate memorial groves that were not allowed to have any trees removed- one for the tributes and one for everyone else. Sometimes the ashes were buried with the trees, sometimes they weren't. It depended on the family. There were four trees in 7 she had been present at the planting of, but only one she could distinctly remember- the tree in honor of her District partner. The other three were planted for her family, but she had been so distraught, so sick with grief, she couldn't remember.

She wanted to remember this one. She had to.

She brushed her hair properly for what felt like the first time in an eternity and then started down the hallway, past the room that would remain empty, and then descended the stairs.

She heard voices outside through the windows that were open on the first floor- the voices of her friends. Once they had heard of her plans, they had asked if they could be there, and she had agreed. They were waiting for her, even though there had not been a specific time mentioned, only the day.

She pulled on a pair of shoes and exited the house through the back door, squinting in the afternoon sun.

Peeta was the first to notice, and he caught her in a tight hug when she got close enough. She returned the hug. She and Peeta had developed a rather special bond despite his gentle, friendly soul and her fiery personality. They had been through a lot together and as the years went on, he had begun to feel like a brother to her. They looked out for each other in their own ways.

Katniss was beside her when she pulled away from Peeta's hug. The gray-eyed woman had her arms clasped behind her back and a unreadable expression on her face. She had been the one that had gotten the sapling- a little birch tree. "I hope it's alright," Katniss said softly, referring to the tree.

Johanna only nodded. Katniss backed away from Johanna then, to allow her to pass. Haymitch and Effie had also joined them. Gale's mother, Rory, and Posy had as well. Gale was talking to his mother and Johanna came up beside him. He took her hand immediately.

After a few moments of soft voices, it was decided it was time.

There was already a hole. All Johanna had to do was put the sapling in it and then fill it in with dirt.

It was quiet as her friends and family watched her. Back home, planting a tree was a symbol of hope, of a new beginning. Filling in the whole with soil was reminiscent of healing.

She stood up when she was done, brushing her hands off on her jeans. She looked at the small tree with tears stinging her eyes.

Hazelle started saying something softly from behind her, Haymitch's voice joined in, followed by the voices of Rory and Posy and finally, Katniss. It sounded to Johanna like some sort of prayer, but she wasn't certain.

A set of arms wrapped around her from behind. Gale of course. He had joined into the prayer as well, but his voice was softer than a whisper.

She did not know the people of District 12 had retained any sort of religion. District 7 had bits and pieces woven into traditions, but despite being close to so many District 12 residents, she had never heard nor seen anything to suggest they had their own similar traditions. Not even Gale had brought anything up.

Religion had been outlawed by the Capitol in the Dark Days, but as they did for so many other things, some residents of Panem had kept it up in secret. Now, religions were slowly making a resurgence, as did holidays.

Johanna personally had never subscribed to the belief of a god, but she knew it brought comfort to some.

"What was that?" Johanna asked Gale when the air fell silent again.

"We lost a lot of babies in the Seam, we'd say that every time. Mom calls it a devotion." He replied before pressing a kiss to her cheek. "It's for love and peace and healing."

Johanna was touched.

Some time later, after everyone had been shaken from their reverie, there was food to be shared. The day had turned into a mixture of District 12 and District 7 traditions, which was fitting. Johanna truly felt much better.

Effie had pulled Johanna aside.

"I have something for you,"

"What?" Johanna asked curiously.

"Hold out your hand," Effie said.

Johanna obliged, and Effie fastened a bracelet around her wrist. It was a simple bracelet, small rectangular metal plate in the middle with a piece of leather cord tied to each end, and then fasted onto her wrist with a knot. In the center of the plate was an engraving of a butterfly nearly identical to the one that had been on the sticker on Johanna's hospital bracelet.

Johanna's eyes filled with tears once more as Effie pulled a small silver necklace out from under her shirt.

"So your little one is always with you." Effie explained.

Johanna hugged the older woman. She had never in a million years thought she would have much in common with Effie, but she had been proven wrong. They too had been through a lot together, and now they shared one more thing in common.

Later that evening after everyone had gone home, Johanna had shown the bracelet to Gale and said it was a gift from Effie. She didn't explain the connection she shared with the woman, but he agreed that it was a beautiful way to remember.

Johanna laughed that night, a real laugh, for the first time in a while. She did indeed feel better. It felt odd, but the planting of the tree in memory of the baby had helped her feel at peace. Knowing that the little tree would be there, growing behind their house, and that she would get to see it every day, felt almost like she would be getting to see the baby grow up in a sense. And it would always be there. It put her mind at ease.

She wasn't sure she would ever feel completely okay again. She still wondered what the baby would've been like. She was certain she would still cry sometimes.

There were dozens of what ifs, but it would be alright. She would be alright. They would be alright.


	26. Chapter 26

Johanna Mason was not quiet.

She didn't really know how to whisper, she walked like an elephant going down the stairs, her sneezes could frighten anyone, she kicked or smacked at things when they made her mad, and boy did she know how to yell.

He was used to it by now.

It was jarring at first for such a quiet, melancholy sort of person who had always spent most of his time in his own head to share a living space with someone who didn't seem capable of sitting quietly for more than two minutes. But now, he was used to it and had grown to expect and appreciate the fact that Johanna's personal volume settings hardly ever dropped below a 4 and usually ranged between an 8 and a 10.

Living with her made it impossible for him to let himself drown in his own thoughts. She was much too loud to give him any sense of peace and quiet for long enough to get stuck in his own brain. And if he somehow managed it, she'd often demand to know what he was thinking, which he pretended to be irritated by it sometimes, but he really did appreciate it.

Johanna truthfully made her presence known whenever she was any where, her voice carried. Gale's previous experience with people who had voices that carried consisted of his mother when she was mad and people with incredibly shrill voices. Johanna's voice just carried.

Her opinions were loud, too. She definitely let people know what she was thinking, even if hey didn't always ask to know. She was just as strong-willed and stubborn as he was, but where he usually let his actions speak for him, she spoke with her words.

Her screams were deafening.

She had far fewer nightmares now than she experienced when they had first reconnected, but those she had were vivid and violent and prompted screams from her that hurt him more than anything physical he ever had to experience and all he could do was hold her tight and tell her that she was safe over and over until she calmed down.

Her periods of silence spoke volumes as well. They were few and far between, but her really bad days made her fall silent and immobile. Grief drove her to silence as well. There were several days a year where she just wouldn't speak much that he never asked about. He loved her through all the not so great days, the days where her fiery attitude was extinguished. The Johanna he knew and loved was not quiet, but sometimes she paused, and that was okay.

Her laughter rang loud and clear through the house most days and she teased him for snoring like a train and could beat anyone anyone in a game of poker and bragged about it and that made everything worth it. Her quiet moments were part of her, but they did not define her. She was a brave, loud, playful, determined, sort of obnoxious person that he loved with everything he had.

They balanced each other out nicely.

Certainly they got on each other's nerves on occasion, but more often than not their "arguments" actually consisted of teasing and weren't serious. Truthfully, they understood each other on a deep level and they fit together like pieces of a puzzle- entirely different, yet perfectly matched. They still had the rest of their puzzle to put together, but they had plenty of time.

So when he woke up to Johanna leaning over him with a mischievous glint in her eye and called him a freight train, he called her an elephant and made her laugh. He rolled his eyes before he pulled her close to kiss her.

No, she wasn't perfect but neither was he. And they were working on being happy. And they loved each other. And that's all they could have asked for.


	27. Chapter 27

Johanna was sitting beside Peeta, who was working in the garden. Katniss and Gale were off in the woods and they were keeping each other company, talking about anything they could think of and Johanna handing Peeta things when he asked for them. She knew better than to risk messing up his garden. It was starting to get chilly, so he was preparing some of the plants for the cooler temperatures.

"Oddly enough, there's been lots of requests for the spiced cakes already, which usually doesn't happen until it really starts to get cold."

"Have you started making them then?"

"Not yet! If if make them too early there won't be enough time between when I stopped selling them and when I started making them. If I have them too often they're not special anymore, and it's not a seasonal treat anymore." Peeta explained as he started digging a new hole with his trowel.

"That's true," Johanna replied. "…you could still make them for me, though." Johanna loved the spice cakes Peeta made.

Peeta chuckled. "Listen Jo, just because you live here now does not mean you get to request my seasonal items whenever you want."

"…how about peanut butter cookies?"

"Okay, that I can do for you. I promised Effie peanut butter pie for dinner tonight, so I'll already have the peanut butter out."

"Fucking thank you. District 2 has shitty peanut butter cookies. Gale said they were fine and kept getting them for me. He has no taste, I swear. They were always too hard and tasted like… burnt cardboard."

"Maybe mine are just exemplary," Peeta teased, brushing his hands off on his jeans.

Johanna laughed. He probably wasn't wrong.

The careless footfalls of someone who had just spent too long being quiet in the woods sounded behind them and they turned around to see Katniss, tucking a stray piece of hair behind their ear.

"Heads up, he found a dog." Katniss said to Johanna, before leaning over to press a kiss to Peeta's cheek.

"A-a dog?" Johanna questioned.

"Yes," Katniss replied simply, before entering her house.

Peeta and Johanna made eye contact and Peeta shrugged.

Seconds later, Gale emerged from the tree line, holding a brown mass to his chest.

Johanna stood to greet him, arms crossed over her chest loosely. "What is _that_?" She asked as Gale came close enough.

"A puppy," Gale replied simply.

It didn't look like a puppy, not really. It was brown and black, filthy, scrawny, and its fur stuck out in odd places. Its golden eyes were half-lidded.

"Why?" She asked.

"It's hurt. We found- it's mother is dead. They got caught in a trap… not ours but I took this little fella. I'm gonna fix him up and find him a home. But we're not keeping it."

"Nope," Johanna agreed.

Gale nodded as he walked towards their house.

* * *

"So, it's a girl." Gale said, plopping a damp puppy onto a towel he put in front of a heater vent. The dog looked a little more alert than it had. Gale had given it some meat and gave it a bath, as well as bandaging the pup's wound on it's leg. The dog curled up into itself.

Johanna hummed indifferently, not looking away from the show she was watching.

"She's pretty cute now that she's all clean. Think she's got some German Shepherd in her if she isn't a full one." Gale added, scratching the dog behind the ears.

"But we aren't keeping it." Johanna reminded.

"No, we are not." Gale agreed, sitting besides her on the couch.

* * *

"You're keeping it,"

Johanna snorted into her hand at Katniss' words. The little dog followed Gale around like her life depended on it. He was clearly smitten with the little creature, but he still was adamant that they were not keeping it. He was lying to himself at this point, and everyone knew it, but Johanna was willing to see how far he would go before cracking. Truthfully, Johanna didn't mind the pup around as much as she thought she would, but damn if she was going to let Gale know that. It had been weeks and at this point, she just thought it was funny.

"He still says we're not,"

Katniss rolled her eyes. "What's he call it?"

"He calls it Cricket when he thinks I can't hear him."

"What an idiot," Katniss crossed her legs. "We're going to that new pet store tomorrow."

"Alright,"

* * *

Gale opened the front door to the house and was greeted by the sight of the scraggly little pup he rescued from the woods with a red plastic bone in her mouth and a teal collar with purple and green stripes around her neck. Her tail was wagging and she jumped up at him happily.

"Hey you," he greeted the dog as he scooped her off the ground. A green identification tag hung off the collar that read 'Cricket'. "What's all this, huh?"

Johanna walked in from the kitchen. "You're not as slick as you think you are, Hawthorne. You love this little fucker and we both know you never once looked for anyone to take her."

He rubbed his neck awkwardly. He had been caught.

"You're damn lucky she's cute." Truthfully, little Cricket had been keeping her company during the day for weeks. The dog liked to cuddle and loved attention. Johanna had fallen in love with her as well.

"So, we're keeping her?"

"I wouldn't have gotten all this crap for her if we weren't." Johanna replied, stepping over to pet the dog. Cricket dropped the bone from her mouth. She had more toys in a box under the window and an honest-to-goodness bed beside the couch that she'd grow into as she got bigger and a leash that matched her collar hung in the closet. She and Katniss had gotten a little excited with buying things for her.

Gale smiled. He looked like a child in that moment, eyes shining with joy.

Johanna smiled back at him and Cricket liked his face, making him laugh. The dog squirmed and he put her down and she clumsily ran over to her new stash of toys and pulled out a rope and threw herself on the ground and started chewing on it.

Gale took that moment to pull Johanna close to him and kiss her. So maybe this wasn't how they thought their family was going to work originally, but that was fine by him. He had always wanted a dog.


	28. Chapter 28

_**Sorry it's been a while! Hopefully this fun little chapter makes up for it!**_

* * *

Gale grinned playfully over his shoulder at his mother and the group of people she was talking to. Johanna, Katniss, Posy, Vick, Rory and Isaiah had all clustered around Hazelle after Johanna had asked to hear embarrassing childhood stories of Gale, to which the woman happily obliged. Gale had extracted himself from the conversation very early on as he was very much embarrassed, but he didn't mind the telling of the stories, he just didn't want to hear them. He enjoyed the peels of laughter from his loved ones from a distance.

Finnley was playing with Haymitch and Cricket. The boy had come to 12 with an intense fear of dogs and had overcome it fairly quickly with Cricket's help. The sweet boy was running around under the watchful eye of his equally as sweet mother Annie, who was chatting to Effie at the picnic table.

Gale was happy just watching the commotion. This was a family gathering. And he was loving every minute of it.

"I suppose I should wish my neighbor a happy birthday," came a voice from Gale's right. Peeta.

Gale smiled a bit. "Thanks,"

"Of course." Peeta replied with a friendly nod.

It was Gale's first birthday since moving back to 12 and his mother and Katniss had made quite the fuss about it. Annie and Finnley were already coming to visit, so that made it even more perfect.

There was a pause. "I hope you liked the cupcakes."

"I did, thanks." Gale responded. Peeta had very graciously made cupcakes for Gale's birthday- chocolate cake frosted dark green with intricately frosted little designs of trees, of the pond in the woods, and of Cricket. They were delicious, as was everything Peeta made, and quite the gesture as no one had asked him to. In fact, while there were no hard feelings between the two men anymore, if there ever truly were, it was still a little awkward to say the least. "How'd you know I like chocolate cake?"

"I have my ways," Peeta grinned. "And by that I mean I asked Johanna."

Gale chuckled. "Well, they're great."

"Thank you," Peeta replied.

It was quiet for another moment before Peeta spoke again. "You know Gale, we're not kids anymore. My wife is very close friends with you and Jo, and you're my neighbor and I- this weird… thing between us is, well I think it's counterintuitive and if you're willing, I would like to end it right now."

Gale looked at Peeta. So, he felt the awkward too.

It was kind of difficult to exist next to each other and hardly communicate and if anything, their avoidance of each other made things weirder. Peeta had figured out a way to communicate that into words.

"I'd like that," Gale responded.

Peeta smiled.

Johanna and Peeta were quite close, as he was with Katniss. Peeta had been there, willing and ready to help with anything since Gale and Jo had come to 12 and even before that. Gale had begun to think of the blonde baker as a semi-friend, but now was the time to make that official.

Gale held his hand out towards Peeta. "Friends?"

Peeta took Gale's hand in his own and shook it. "Friends,"

"Oh! Come here, come here before I forget!" said Hazelle in a rather loud voice, drawing all eyes to her. "Let's take a picture of all of us together."

"How're you gonna do that, Ma?" Rory asked.

"I can take it," Isaiah offered.

"Oh, pish posh. Isaiah, you're family now. You're going to be in the picture. This camera has a timer. It does have a timer, right Posy darling? I'll just… you all stand over in front of the tree and I'll put it on the table and get it lined up right… save a spot for me. Someone grab the puppy, she's family too! Thank you, Finnley. Put Gale in the middle, it's his birthday…"

Gale smiled as his mother ushered everyone into a good position for picture taking, chatting all the while. They were really getting jostled around by everyone moving all at once. Johanna had managed to squeeze in beside him.

"Cricket, sit. Effie, dear your shirt sleeve- perfect. Can we all act like we love each other?"

Everyone laughed a bit at that.

Gale snaked his arm around Johanna's waist, who smiled up at him.

"Happy Birthday," she said. She had said it many times.

He kissed her in response. Vick made a gagging sound.

"Alright, alright, positions. Smile!" Hazelle said before pressing a button and dashing over to the group. She slid right in between Posy and Rory. "It'll take three. Keep smiling!"

And so they did. For two anyway.

And then Finnley sneezed breaking the serious silence of posed smiling and everyone dissolved into giggles for the final picture.

"I want a copy of that one," Gale managed to say after everyone recovered from laughing.

After the picture taking, the light hearted festivities of the party continued, culminating in a small campfire for s'mores at the end of the night. Finnley and Annie turned in first, followed by Haymitch and Effie, then Posy, Vick and Hazelle and then Isaiah and Rory. Katniss dumped water over the fire to put it out and then Katniss and Peeta and Johanna and Gale went their separate ways to their own house, but only after Katniss gave Gale a hug.

"I hope you had a good birthday," Katniss said. Peeta waved cheerfully from behind his wife and then the Mellarks disappeared into their house.

And with the crazy mismatched family they all made together, it certainly was a very happy birthday indeed.


	29. Chapter 29

_**Sorry it's been a while everyone! College is a lot! It's my senior year though, so I'm almost done!**_

 _ **It's a short domestic chapter, but it was to get me back into the swing of things! Hope you enjoy!**_

* * *

"Hey," Gale greeted as he walked through the front door.

Johanna looked up from the box of decorations she was sorting through on the floor. "Hey,"

Cricket had leapt off the couch at the sound of Gale's voice and ran to him, putting her front paws up on his legs to say hello.

"Hey pup," Gale laughed, scratching the dog behind her ears. Cricket licked at his hand in greeting. "Okay down. Good girl,"

Cricket wagged her tail excitedly as she lowered her paws to the ground, so she was standing.

"We'll play in a bit, I have to put my stuff down." Gale said, walking to the closet and opening it.

"You talk to that dog like she's a person." Johanna said with a teasing smile after him.

"You've seen the way she looks at us," Gale retorted. "If I didn't know better, I'd say there was a human in there."

Johanna laughed a little as she pulled a leafy garland out of the box.

Gale crossed the room and lowered himself to the hardwood floor beside Johanna and leaned over to press a kiss to her cheek, making her smile. Cricket bounded over and made herself comfortable with her head in Gale's lap.

"How was work?" She asked him, laying the string of fake leaves on the coffee table.

He shrugged and scratched Cricket's head. "Pretty good, actually. We got some things straightened out that have been needing to be straightened out."

"Good," she replied, digging around in the box.

"What's all this?"

"Effie and Haymitch have more fall decorations than they know what to do with, so they gave us a box to go through and take what we wanted."

"Fall decorations?" He asked with a smirk. "So instead of real leaves, we're gonna put fake leaves around our house?"

She rolled her eyes and swatted at him with a dish towel embroidered with pumpkins. Cricket barely flinched. She was currently in her happy place and couldn't care less about what Johanna was doing. "I think it's nice of them."

"Aw, it is nice. It'll make this place look a little more like it's lived in."

Johanna smiled at him. Strangely enough, she enjoyed these domestic moments where they talked about their days and teased each other.

"Are the things on the table what you've decided to keep?" He asked.

"Yeah. Wanna help me pick some more stuff out?"

"Of course," he replied.

Johanna shoved the box between the two of them. Cricket popped up to her feet and stuck her nose curiously into the box, tail wagging.

"Cricket, do you want to be decorated for fall too?" Johanna laughed, reaching over to pet Cricket. The dog's tail only wagged harder. "Huh? Are you gonna be a festive puppy?"

Cricket leapt over Gale's legs to get to Johanna, where she started licking her face.

"Festive puppy!" Johanna cooed, laughing even more as Cricket got more excited. "Are you a festive puppy?"

Cricket barked softly and jumped up on Johanna. Jo fell back with the impact she wasn't ready for and Cricket started licking her all over. Johanna was laughing hysterically. Her face was wet with dog spit, but she was happy. She reached up a hand and roughly pulled Gale, who was just watching and chuckling, down beside her, causing Cricket to go after him, making him laugh as well.

It was simple, to be on the floor side by side, getting licked all over by their puppy, laughing hysterically while autumnal decorations were strewn about their living room. But simple was special to them sometimes. To live a normal, happy life together was something they would never take advantage of.


End file.
